Construction has broken ground in the 240 MW Blackjack Creek wind farm in Bee and Refugio counties, Texas. The project will be powered by 50 4.8 MW Nordex turbines and will generate enough green electricity to power over 72,000 homes, located in the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) south market. The wind farm is expected to generate more than US$53 million in revenue locally, including an estimated US$30 million for the local school districts. During the course of construction, the project expects to create over 200 construction jobs. The wind farm is being constructed by Silvia Ortin, COO Onshore Wind and Solar PV Americas, RWE Renewables.
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“We look forward to the successful completion of the project and the ultimate value it will provide to the local community and, especially, to the local school districts. Our unmatched experience with projects on the Texas coast ensures Blackjack Creek will deliver affordable, clean, renewable energy and further expand renewable energy in North America. Blackjack Creek Wind Farm significantly expands our portfolio of onshore projects in the U.S., one of our focus markets. We’re building a balance of wind, solar, and storage resources, helping us deliver on our net capacity clean energy targets.” said Silvia Ortin, Chief Operating Officer North America.
“We welcome RWE and the Blackjack Creek Wind Farm to our community. It’s been a good working relationship and we’re excited the company decided to bring this significant investment to our county to help diversify the tax base and provide a positive economic impact to the area,” said Ken Haggard, commissioner of Bee County. The U.S. accounts for more than one-third of the RWE Group’s renewables capacity playing a key role in RWE’s strategy to grow its renewables business. RWE constructs own and operates some of the highest performing wind, solar, and energy storage projects in the U.S.
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