Hackberry attracts investment

GE Energy Financial Services is investing in a $350m, 166-megawatt wind generation project to supply Austin, Texas with renewable power.

The project’s developer, Renewable Energy Systems Americas, will begin construction of the Hackberry wind farm in Shackelford County 30 miles north east of Abilene this month, and is scheduled to complete it by December.

The project, which will employ 72 Siemens MK II 2.3-megawatt wind turbines, is expected to produce enough power for 39,000 homes and avoid 389,000 tons a year in greenhouse gas emissions, compared to equivalent fossil fuel generation.

The project interconnects with Oncor Electric Delivery Company and includes a 15-year power purchase agreement with the City of Austin through Austin Energy, the tenth largest community-owned electric utility in the US.

With the Hackberry investment, GE Energy Financial Services holds equity in 79 wind farms worldwide, with a capacity to produce more than 2,870 megawatts of electricity.

Renewable Energy Systems Americas is a subsidiary of privately owned UK-based Renewable Energy Systems, also known as RES Group. The project will be constructed, owned and operated by affiliates of RES Americas, including Austin-based affiliate Hackberry Wind.