HARLINGEN — Spanish-based Acciona Energia has announced its second Cameron County wind farm will be constructed near its San Roman generating facility.
The new $200 million wind farm, called Palmas Altas, will consist of 46 wind turbines and have a generating capacity of 145 megawatts of electricity.
San Roman has 31 turbines and 93 megawatts of generating capacity.
The investment by Acciona will mean 170 jobs for the construction phase and 10 permanent positions. The additional wind farm — the company’s ninth in the United States — will boost total generating capacity to 866 megawatts.
“We are proud to undertake a new wind power project that consolidates the reactivation of our investment activity in the United States and confirms our commitment to grow in a controlled and profitable manner in a market that continues to offer very interesting opportunities for the renewables sector,” Rafael Esteban, CEO of ACCIONA Energy USA Global LLC, said in a statement.
The facility should begin generating power by November 2019, the company said.
Over its 25-year lifespan, Palmas Altas is expected to create $40 million in local tax revenue, as well as more than $44 million in lease payments to local landowners, the company said.
The energy produced by the facility will be sold in the ERCOT-South Texas wholesale market.
In addition to San Roman, the company has three wind farms in Oklahoma, two in the Dakotas, one in Illinois and one in Iowa (6 MW). It also has a facility in the Nevada desert.
Emails and phone calls seeking additional comments from company executives about the new wind farm were not returned.
WHERE — Between Bayview and the Laguna Madre
WHO — Acciona Energia
WHAT — 46 wind turbines
POWER — 145 megawatts
COST — $200 million
JOBS — 170 construction jobs, 10 permanent jobs
