Enel Green Power has started operations at the 245 MW second phase of its Roadrunner solar plant in Upton County, Texas.
The overall 497 MW project is the largest operational solar farm in Texas and the company’s largest in the U.S.
“Our engineering and construction team executed on a project of monumental scale in record time, notwithstanding today’s ongoing challenges,” says Georgios Papadimitriou, head of Enel Green Power North America.
“With a portfolio that now totals over 6 GW of renewable capacity, our strategy of steady growth in the U.S. and Canada continues apace,” he adds.
Roadrunner will sell its energy in a 65 MW power purchase agreement (PPA) with Mondelēz Int. and a 70 MW PPA with The Clorox Co. The agreement is Mondelēz Int.’s largest renewable energy partnership and enables the company to make substantial progress in its goal to reduce its absolute CO2 emissions from manufacturing by 15% by the end of the year.
The PPA with The Clorox Co. represents about half of Clorox’s 100% renewable electricity goal in its operations in the U.S. and Canada and is expected to help Clorox accelerate achieving its goal in 2021, four years ahead of the company’s original plan. The plant’s 1.2 million bifacial photovoltaic (PV) panels will be able to generate approximately 1.2 TWh annually.
At the Roadrunner construction site, crews implemented safe working practices and operations were structured to maintain social distancing as well as other best practices. Furthermore, as part of its $1.3 million commitment in response to the COVID-19 pandemic across the U.S. and Canada, the company developed initiatives to support community hospitals, schools and emergency responders in Texas.
Photo: Enel Green Power’s Roadrunner Solar Plant