Avangrid Renewables completed commissioning of the 307.06-MW Karankawa Wind Farm in Texas on December 30, 2019.
The facility supplies clean electricity to Austin Energy and Nike and helps both companies meet their sustainability commitments. Austin Energy has committed to meet 65% of its customers’ energy demand with renewable resources by 2027. Nike has committed to
power 100% of its owned or operated facilities with renewable energy by 2025 as a part of its RE100 commitment.
“Austin Energy, with the support of the Austin City Council, is proud to continue our longstanding leadership in wind energy,” said Jackie Sargent, Austin Energy General Manager. “Because this project is located along the coast, gulf breezes will generate more
energy during the day, matching the needs of the Texas electric market and benefiting customers.”
“At Nike, we’re on a mission to help protect the future of sport, and there is no bigger environmental threat to sport than climate change,” said Noel Kinder, Chief Sustainability Officer of Nike. “We have been incorporating sustainability into our business for years – both in our operations and in how we innovate to reduce our environmental footprint while also providing high-performance products. With the opening of the Karankawa Wind Farm we are proud to be using renewable energy to power 100% of our owned or operated facilities in our North America geography, and are tracking toward our commitment to achieve 100% globally by 2025.”
The Karankawa Wind Farm is located in San Patricio and Bee counties in south Texas. The project’s 124 GE wind turbines range in capacity from 2.3 to 2.52 MW for a total project capacity of 307.06 MW. The project spans 18,000 acres with turbines hosted by 64
landowners.
Karankawa is the sixth and largest Avangrid Renewables wind farm in the state of Texas. The company’s Texas wind portfolio has a capacity of over 1,200 MW delivering clean electricity to commercial and utility customers.
The project will bolster the region’s farming economy and local community with over $29 million in land lease payments and $60 million in taxes over the first 20 years of the project’s operations. This will support local services such as schools and libraries. Construction of the wind farm employed over 350 people at its height. Going forward, the project will employ up to 12 full time employees and support local businesses through the purchase of products and services.
“We are excited to grow our Texas footprint and look forward to being part of the community in Bee and San Patricio counties for decades to come,” said Avangrid Renewables President and CEO Alejandro de Hoz. “We value the opportunity to work with Austin Energy and Nike and are proud to help our customers achieve their ambitious sustainability goals.”
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