Clearway Energy Begins Work on 419 MW Texas Wind Farm

San Francisco-based clean energy group, Clearway Energy Group has announced that it has closed financing and commenced construction on Mesquite Star, a 419 MW wind farm in Fischer and Nolan counties in Texas.

Mizuho Bank of Japan led the group of banks including KeyBank, MUFG, and Santander, that will provide a loan to finance the construction of the wind farm. Berkshire Hathaway Energy is providing a tax equity commitment to investing in the project upon completion.

“A project of this size takes an amazing group of partners at the local level, off-takers committed to purchasing renewable energy, and the financial community,” said Craig Cornelius, CEO of Clearway Energy Group. “We are proud to play a central role in this achievement and thankful for the support of our execution partners, Blattner Energy, and Siemens Gamesa, who helped ensure Mesquite Star will deliver affordable clean renewable energy.”

Mesquite Star’s customers and revenue contract counterparties include several preeminent institutions, including Ecolab Inc., Brown University, Cisco Systems, Inc., and others whom the clean energy company will support in meeting their sustainability and clean energy goals. Mesquite Star was developed through a partnership between Clearway and Hill Country Wind Power, L.P., its original developer.

The project will have a total of 118 wind turbines, supplied by Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy. As soon as the group closed the financing for the project, it issued a notice to its EPC partner Blattner Energy to begin construction of the project. The 419 MW wind farm is expected to begin commercial operation early next year.

Recently, Canadian renewable energy solutions firm, Innergex Renewable Energy announced the closing of a construction financing and tax equity commitment for another wind farm in Texas, the 328 MW Foard City wind project.

The $290.9 million financing has been arranged with lenders Santander, MUFG, Zions Bancorp and the Royal Bank of Canada, backed by a $275.0 million tax equity commitment from Berkshire Hathaway Energy and a $23.3 million 7-year term loan facility with a 10-year amortisation period to be provided by the lenders upon the commercial operation date.