Ørsted Completes 518MW Wind-Solar Project in Texas, Powering 110,000 Homes
Ørsted has announced the completion of the Helena Energy Center, a 518 MW combined wind and solar project located in Bee County, South Texas. The project is now fully operational and is expected to generate enough renewable energy to power over 110,000 Texan homes and businesses annually.
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The Helena Energy Center consists of the 268 MW Helena Wind farm and the 250 MWAC Sparta Solar farm, making it Ørsted’s first co-located wind and solar project and the largest renewable energy project in their global onshore portfolio. The project has secured contracts with multiple corporate offtakers to supply reliable renewable energy.
David Hardy, Ørsted’s Executive Vice President and CEO of Region Americas, emphasized the project’s significance: “Helena Energy Center is unique in that it’s Ørsted’s first co-located wind and solar project and the largest in our global onshore portfolio. Taking advantage of the Gulf of Mexico’s strong coastal winds and abundant sunshine, this project will offer reliable energy to Texas’ grid and economic opportunity for the local community.”
The construction of the Helena Energy Center created approximately 500 construction jobs and will generate operations and maintenance jobs for decades. The project’s completion was celebrated with a gathering attended by partners, landowners, community members, and local and state-elected officials at Helena’s facility, which comprises 66 wind turbines and over 600,000 solar panels.
Texas Senator Morgan LaMantia, who represents Bee County, welcomed the project as a vital contribution to the state’s clean power and grid reliability: “This project should come as welcome news to all Texans as it provides significant clean power to our state at a time when all eyes are on grid reliability. I’m especially proud that the Bee County community will also benefit from workforce opportunities, public school support, and funding for rural areas like ours.”
With over 1.3 GW of onshore renewable assets under construction, Ørsted is poised to continue making a significant impact in the renewable energy sector. Approximately 1.1 GW of these projects are expected to become operational in 2024, further solidifying Ørsted’s commitment to sustainable energy solutions.
