Austin Energy buys more wind power through new deals

Community-owned utility Austin Energy has finalized contracts to purchase energy for the next 25 years from the Los Vientos and Whitetail coastal wind farms, in a bid to expand its power generation from renewable sources.

The contracts will increase Austin Energy’s total wind portfolio to 851 megawatts and the total renewable energy up to 27%.

Built and owned by Duke Energy Renewables, the Los Vientos project near Harlingen, Texas, comprises 84 turbines of 2.4MW capacity each.

This acquisition marks Austin’s largest wind contract to date.

The Exelon Wind-owned Whitetail Wind Energy project is located near Laredo, Texas, and comprises 57 turbines with a capacity of 1.62MW each.

The company will purchase all the power generated at the facilities under a 25-year agreement.

The agreement with Duke Energy will add 201.6MW to Austin’s renewable portfolio and an additional 92.3MW from a deal with Exelon.

Austin Energy general manager Larry Weis commented that the company is pleased to partner with Duke and Exelon for these two new wind contracts.

"Wind is currently one of the cheapest and cleanest forms of generation we can invest in and we were able to significantly increase our renewable portfolio without jeopardizing our affordability goals," Weis said.

Although the utility’s total renewable portfolio is primarily wind power, the company also obtains clean energy from a 100MW biomass plant in Nacogdoches and a 30MW solar facility in Webberville.

The company seeks to produce 35% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2020.