West of the Pecos solar project : RWE Renewables commissions 100MW solar plant in Texas

RWE Renewables has started commercial operations on its 100MW West of the Pecos solar project in Reeves County, Texas, almost a year after its former owner E.ON began construction.

Located nearly 75 miles southwest of Midland-Odessa, the Texan solar power project uses approximately 350,000 solar modules on a surface equivalent to 550 football pitches. The West of the Pecos solar project spans more than 700 acres of land leased from Texas Pacific Land Trust and Texas General Land Office within Reeves County.

The West of the Pecos solar plant is the first solar project of RWE in Texas. In May 2018, the West of the Pecos project secured a long-term power purchase deal for 50MW with SK E&S LNG, a subsidiary of South Korean energy company SK E&S Co.

RWE Renewables said that the West of the Pecos solar plant has also secured tax equity financing from an undisclosed investor in exchange for a partial stake in the project.

The 100MW West of the Pecos solar project in Reeves County, Texas. Photo courtesy of RWE Renewables.

Commenting on the West of the Pecos solar project commissioning, Silvia Ortin -COO Onshore Wind and Solar PV Americas at RWE Renewables, said: “The completion of our largest solar project in the U.S. is another good example of RWE’s continued success in the U.S. market and our effort to diversify our portfolio across technologies.

“With a development pipeline of more than 10 GW our strategy for renewables in the U.S. is geared for growth. A very big thank you to all involved employees and partners, who made an excellent job in the smooth execution of this project. West of the Pecos underscores our commitment to being the partner of choice for the transition to a lower-carbon future.”

In October 2019, E.ON completed the transfer of its renewables business, including the 100MW solar project in Texas to fellow German electric utility RWE, as part of its transaction to acquire and integrate Innogy. The acquired assets – comprising onshore and offshore wind farms, solar plants, and battery storage facilities with a combined capacity of more than 9GW were bundled into a new subsidiary by RWE under the name RWE Renewables.