Avangrid, Inc., a sustainable energy company and member of the Iberdrola Group, announced the signing of a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with CPS Energy, a community-owned provider of electric and natural gas services, for a 161-Megawatt (MW) portion of Avangrid’s Peñascal I wind farm in Kenedy County, Texas south of Corpus Christi.
This represents an extension and expansion of a previous 15-year agreement between the two companies for energy from Peñascal I. CPS Energy more than doubled its power offtake from the project – increasing from 77 MW to 161 MW – and will now receive almost 80% of the power generated there. Avangrid is supplying CPS Energy with enough energy from Peñascal I to power about 41,000 Texas homes.
“This is another great example of Avangrid working closely with our partners to continue delivering clean, reliable energy to customers,” said Pedro Azagra, Avangrid CEO. “In this case, we are growing our already strong relationship with CPS Energy to support their growing customer base while managing merchant risk at one of our existing wind facilities. Partnerships like this are critical to supporting a clean energy transition in Texas and beyond.”
“Growing our portfolio of renewable energy brings us closer to realizing our Vision 2027 goals,” said Rudy D. Garza, President and CEO of CPS Energy. “This expansion is an exciting step in our renewable energy commitments and is well-aligned with our approved generation plan.”
The additional 84 MW of wind power supports CPS Energy’s Vision 2027 plan that contemplates the retirement of 2,249 MW of older generation capacity before 2030. These efforts also align with CPS Energy’s commitment to the City of San Antonio’s Climate Action & Adaptation Plan (CAAP), which includes a resolution by the CPS Energy Board of Trustees to support the CAAP’s goal to become carbon neutral by 2050, and the interim goals of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 41% from 2016 levels and 71% by 2040.
Peñascal I was the first wind power project on the Texas coast, reaching commercial operations in 2009. It includes 84 turbines that generate a total of 202 MW of renewable energy and supports 16 permanent employees in the community. Additionally, Peñascal I has paid nearly $30 million in property taxes since being built, which is used for public services like education.
Avangrid developed this project in a way that minimizes environmental impacts on birds, wildlife and wetlands. Before construction began, Avangrid partnered with wildlife biologists who spent more than 4,000 hours in the field studying the site and avian patterns during a wide variety of weather conditions. Information gleaned from the studies showed that Peñascal I has minimal impact on the environment and wildlife.
