The facility is located in Andrews County, Texas, and will come online in mid-2021.
Upon completion of the Permian Energy Center, Ørsted will become the first energy company to operate the full spectrum of onshore and offshore wind, solar PV and storage solutions in the US market.
The Permian Energy Center will comprise 420 MW of solar PV and 40 MW of battery storage located on a 3,600-acre site alongside existing oil and gas installations and will supply growing West Texas demand for electricity. In a region synonymous with traditional energy production, the project underscores the increasing cost competitiveness of renewable energy.
Ørsted CEO Henrik Poulsen, says: “We’re very excited to be moving ahead with the Permian Energy Center and to be adding solar plus storage to our rapidly growing portfolio of US onshore assets. With the completion of the project, Ørsted will have a US portfolio of operating assets that spans the full spectrum of offshore and onshore renewable energy technologies, which we believe is important as we look to offer our customers the most competitive and diverse clean energy solutions into the future.”
Declan Flanagan, CEO of Lincoln Clean Energy, Ørsted’s US onshore developer, commented: “We’re delighted to be adding this substantial solar plus storage capability to our portfolio. The Permian Energy Center is a landmark project that demonstrates Ørsted’s ability to deliver clean and competitive energy solutions to the dynamic US energy market.”
The solar modules for the Permian Energy Center will be supplied by Jinko Solar and JA Solar, the number one and number two global suppliers, respectively, in 2018.
About Permian Energy Center
460 MW combined solar plus battery storage facility
Total project area: 3560 acres
Number of bi-facial solar panels to be installed: 1,300,000
Projected daily output capacity: 420 MW, able to deliver power to 100,000 US homes
Battery storage facility capacity: 40 MW, 1-hour
Estimated number of jobs during peak construction: 300
Ørsted’s US onshore business operates approximately 1 GW of wind assets. It has a further 670 MW of wind assets under construction in addition to the 420 MW of solar photovoltaic and 40 MW of storage that will be delivered by the Permian Energy Center.