Papalote Creek Wind Farm

Papalote Creek Wind Farm
Country United States
Location San Patricio County, Texas
Coordinates 27°58′48″N 97°23′28″W / 27.98000°N 97.39111°W / 27.98000; -97.39111Coordinates: 27°58′48″N 97°23′28″W / 27.98000°N 97.39111°W / 27.98000; -97.39111
Construction began 2009
Owner(s) E.ON
Operator(s) E.ON
Wind farm
Site usage Ranching
Power generation
Units operational 196
Nameplate capacity 380 MW

The Papalote Creek Wind Farm near Taft, Texas in San Patricio County is an array of 196 wind turbines that can produce 380 megawatts of power, enough to serve approximately 114,000 homes. The wind farm was built and is operated by E.ON Climate and Renewables North America. The first phase of 109 Vestas 1.65 megawatt turbines came on line in the fall of 2009. The second phase of 87 Siemens 2.3 megawatt turbines came on line in winter 2010. All turbines are approximately 262 feet high and have three blades. The turbines have a maximum speed of 22 rotations per minute.

The majority of the electricity generated is sold to the Lower Colorado River Authority and CPS Energy which is owned by the City of San Antonio.

The land for the wind farm is privately owned and leased to E.ON. The lease agreement allows for other uses of the land such as farming and ranching. The wind farm has added more than $500 million in value to the property tax base of San Patricio County and local school districts. Additional turbines may be added to the wind farm in the future.[1]

The wind farm is located about 20 miles from where Hurricane Harvey made landfall on August 25, 2017, and experienced wind speeds of 90 mph, shutting the wind farm down. Downed power lines delayed operation for a few days before the wind farm became operational again.[2][3]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "196 Wind Turbines Cranking Out Power". San Patricio Municipal Water District. February 1, 2011.
  2. ↑ Gold, Russell (September 2, 2017). "In Big Test of Wind Farm Durability, Texas Facility Quickly Restarts After Harvey". Retrieved September 4, 2017 – via www.wsj.com. The delay in restarting was mostly because the power lines were damaged
  3. ↑ "Texas Wind Turbines Survive Hurricane Harvey". REVE. August 30, 2017. Retrieved September 4, 2017.
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