BP began construction of its 187-megawatt direct current Peacock Solar Project just north of Corpus Christi in San Patricio County, Texas, BP said in a Sept. 26 press release. The project is part of the company’s plans to invest in and build renewable energy capacity of 50 gigawatts by 2030.
The renewable electricity generated from the project—enough to power the equivalent of 34,000 homes—will be sold under a long-term power purchase agreement to Gulf Coast Growth Ventures, a joint venture between Exxon Mobil and SABIC. The facility produces materials for the manufacture of clothes, food containers, packaging, agricultural film and construction materials.
Lightsource BP, BP’s 50-50 joint venture partner, is developing and managing the construction of Peacock on behalf of BP. PCL Construction, the main engineering, procurement and construction contractor for the project, will install First Solar low-carbon solar panels and GameChanger Solar trackers.
Peacock will also have vegetation beneficial to pollinators and other wildlife planted under and around its solar panels and sheep grazing around the site to keep farmland in production and soil healthy.
“Securing this agreement and kicking off construction of Peacock helps support the transition to lower carbon energy, while benefiting local communities and the economy,” Dave Lawler, BP America chairman and president, said in the press release. “It’s another way BP is accelerating growth of our U.S. solar generation capacity, investing in America and advancing our transformation to an integrated energy company.”
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