Cranell wind farm, a 220-MW project located in Refugio County, Texas, has achieved commercial operation. The project owned by RWE is powered by 100 Vestas 2.2-MW turbines. With the addition of Cranell, RWE operates 25 onshore wind farms in the U.S. with a total installed capacity of more than 4,200 MW. The project represents an investment of $250 million in the South Texas region.

Cranell is the second of RWE’s U.S. onshore wind projects to come online this year with a remarkable safety record, going more than 434,000 work hours without a recordable safety incident. Up to 300 workers were employed in the construction of the wind farm. Already in March, Peyton Creek (151 MW), also in Texas, achieved commercial operation after completing construction incident-free. In addition to the construction workforce at Cranell, 13 permanent employees were hired to operate and maintain the site, many coming from the local region.

“RWE is thrilled to be announcing our seventh Texas coastal wind project reach commercial operation,” said Silvia Ortín, Chief Operating Officer North America. “We are particularly proud this project was completed without a reportable safety incident and many of the permanent positions at the facility were hired from the local region. With almost one gigawatt under construction, we have firmly established our position as an industry leader in the U.S.”

News item from RWE