Texas will become home to Ørsted’s largest solar photovoltaic (PV) project –the 471-megawatt (MW) Mockingbird Solar Center, the company said on Jan. 13.
Spanning about 4,900 acres in Lamar County, northeast of Dallas, the project is designed to generate enough energy to power more than 800,000 homes per year, the Denmark-headquartered company said.
Construction is scheduled to begin in January and be completed in 2024.
“Adding almost half a gigawatt to our portfolio, the decision to build Mockingbird represents an important milestone for our onshore business and for our expansion in solar PV,” said David Hardy, CEO of Ørsted’s Americas region.
The project will move the company closer toward its goal of hitting 17.5 GW onshore capacity and installing 50 gigawatts (GW) of renewable energy globally by year-end 2030. It will also lift Ørsted’s global energy capacity either in operation or under construction for onshore renewables—including solar, storage and wind—to 5.5 GW, the company said. This includes 1.8 GW of solar PV.
Texas has seen a surge in renewable energy projects in recent years as the push to lower emissions by greening the grid picks up speed.
Data from the Solar Energy Industries Association show Texas is projected to add more than 36,000 MW of solar over the next five years. The 16,173 MW of solar installed as of third quarter 2022 is enough to power more than 1.8 million homes. Texas trails only California in solar energy production.
Ørsted has already lined up a purchaser for some of the power to be generated at Mockingbird. In 2021, the company said, it signed a 10-year corporate power purchase agreement with Royal DSM, a health and nutrition company.
In a move to preserve nature, Ørsted also said it will donate nearly 1,000 acres of land adjacent to Mockingbird to The Nature Conservancy to protect nearby native tallgrass prairies.
Recommended Reading
Laredo Oil Subsidiary, Erehwon Enter Into Drilling Agreement with Texakoma
2024-03-14 - The agreement with Lustre Oil and Erehwon Oil & Gas would allow Texakoma to participate in the development of 7,375 net acres of mineral rights in Valley County, Montana.
CEO: Magnolia Hunting Giddings Bolt-ons that ‘Pack a Punch’ in ‘24
2024-02-16 - Magnolia Oil & Gas plans to boost production volumes in the single digits this year, with the majority of the growth coming from the Giddings Field.
Kimmeridge Fast Forwards on SilverBow with Takeover Bid
2024-03-13 - Investment firm Kimmeridge Energy Management, which first asked for additional SilverBow Resources board seats, has followed up with a buyout offer. A deal would make a nearly 1 Bcfe/d Eagle Ford pureplay.
Texas Pacific Land Approves Three-for-one Stock Split
2024-03-10 - Each stockholder of record as of March 18 will be distributed two shares for each share owned.
Jerry Jones Invests Another $100MM in Comstock Resources
2024-03-20 - Dallas Cowboys owner and Comstock Resources majority shareholder Jerry Jones is investing another $100 million in the company.