Clearway Completes Construction on 419 MW Texas Wind Project

Clearway Energy Group has announced that it has completed construction and brought online a 419 MW wind farm in Fisher County, Texas.

Clearway Energy Group has announced that it has completed construction and brought online Mesquite Star, a 419 megawatt (MW) wind farm in Fisher County, Texas. The project is contracted under an aggregation of long-term power agreements with several corporate and institutional customers, including Ecolab, Lowe’s, Intuit, and Brown University.

The project was constructed by Blattner Energy, Inc., with wind turbines supplied by Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy and a tax equity investment by BHE Renewables.

“We’re proud of the team that came together to bring this project to life,” said Craig Cornelius, CEO of Clearway Energy Group. “Successfully launching a project like this, at a time like this, demonstrates the durability of this industry even under the most difficult circumstances. Mesquite Star will provide clean, affordable wind power in the Lone Star State for decades to come while supporting our customers in meeting their sustainability and clean energy goals. We thank our customers, landowners, construction partner, and the many others involved in the success of this project.”

Located in one of the windiest corridors of West Texas, the project created more than 300 jobs during construction, more than a dozen ongoing jobs, and generated millions of dollars in local investments. According to the American Wind Energy Association, wind energy is a USD 46.5 billion industry in the Lone Star State, attracting USD 237 million in annual statewide and local taxes and supporting more than 25,000 jobs.

“This partnership is a key part of Brown University’s goal of getting to net-zero carbon emissions by 2040,” said Stephen Porder, a professor of ecology and evolutionary biology and Brown’s assistant provost for sustainability. “Power we purchase from Mesquite Star will offset about 30 percent of our campus electricity and will cut our net campus emissions by 15 percent. We’re very pleased that our part of this project will contribute to a cleaner energy future.”

In May 2019, we had reported that the group had closed financing and commenced construction on the wind farm in Fischer and Nolan counties in Texas. Mizuho Bank of Japan led the group of banks including KeyBank, MUFG, and Santander, that provided a loan to finance the construction of the wind farm.