Clearway Celebrates 340 MW Mesquite Sky Wind Farm Completion with Iconic Customers in West Texas
SAN FRANCISCO – Clearway Energy Group (Clearway) joined Deere & Company and Whirlpool Corporation to celebrate reaching commercial operations last quarter at its 340 MW Mesquite Sky wind farm in Callahan County, Texas. The two corporate customers previously signed long-term virtual power purchase agreements for Mesquite Sky’s renewable energy, helping each company make progress toward its sustainability goals.
“We take great pride in giving our partners a way to meet their climate and sustainability goals with competitive renewable energy,” said Valerie Wooley, Vice President of Origination at Clearway. “Deere & Company and Whirlpool Corporation are integral to the success of Mesquite Sky, which joins our growing fleet of wind farms creating local investments, good jobs, and reliable power in West Texas.”
“We are thrilled to see this project come to fruition,” said Jill Sanchez, Director of Sustainability for Deere & Company. “Reducing our environmental impact to contribute to a low-carbon economy is a key component of our Leap Ambitions, our financial and sustainability goals, which launched earlier this year. Our goal is to reduce 50% of operational CO2 emissions by 2030. Mesquite Sky wind is a long-term commitment for Deere and an important piece of how we’ll achieve that goal.”
“This is an exciting step forward in our long history of commitments to environmental sustainability,” said Ron Voglewede, Director of Global Sustainability at Whirlpool Corp. “This investment not only accelerates our progress towards our commitment to net-zero (scopes 1&2) emissions in plants and operations by 2030, it furthers our vision to improve life at home while also providing clean, renewable energy to our consumers who use our innovative products in their home.”
Mesquite Sky features 68 state-of-the-art wind turbines generating enough clean electricity with the potential to power more than 87,000 households each year.
Blattner Energy led the Mesquite Sky construction, which created more than 450 jobs and generated hundreds of thousands of dollars in local spending. John Deere equipment was used during construction, reflecting Clearway’s broader commitment to partnering with customers and using their products and services.
The project will contribute more than $173 million to Callahan County’s economy through land lease and property tax payments over the course of its operating period. The wind farm employs several full-time wind technicians and will continue to donate to the local community as it has this past year, supporting the Callahan County food bank and local coronavirus relief efforts.
In 2020, Clearway announced a joint equity transaction with climate investment firm Hannon Armstrong (NYSE: HASI) and Clearway Energy, Inc. (NYSE: CWEN, CWEN.A) for a 1.6 GW portfolio that includes Mesquite Sky.