The following is a news release from Xcel Energy:
Xcel Energy plans a ceremonial groundbreaking at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 14, at the Hale Wind Project construction site at the corner of Farm-to-Market Road 37 and County Road Z northeast of Petersburg, Texas.
Construction of the 478-megawatt wind energy facility actually started in June, and construction crews have already begun pouring foundations at the turbine sites.
The Hale Wind Project is one of two large wind energy facilities Xcel Energy plans to build and own in order to supply low-cost electricity to its customers in Texas and New Mexico. Earlier this year, regulators in both Texas and New Mexico approved plans for the Hale project and also the Sagamore Wind Project near Portales, N.M. Together, the two wind farms will have a capacity of 1,000 megawatts. Additionally, Xcel Energy will purchase 230 megawatts of wind-generated electricity under long-term contract from sites owned by NextEra Energy Resources in Cochran and Crosby counties in Texas.
Xcel Energy’s regional wind energy expansion projects are set to save Texas and New Mexico customers close to $2 billion in energy costs over 30 years by offsetting natural gas-fueled electricity generation with clean wind energy that has no associated fuel costs.
Wanzek Construction is building the Hale and Sagamore facilities, and expects to employ 300 construction workers in the construction of the Hale County facility. Xcel Energy estimates around 20 full-time operations positions will be created when the wind farm goes into service in 2019.
(News release from Xcel Energy)
