Irish
Irish electricity generator Airtricity to build major wind generating capacity in Texas Panhandle
By Finfacts Team
Feb 19, 2007, 07:50

Airtricity is Ireland's leading green electricity supplier. The company generates its electricity exclusively from natural resources, such as the wind and currently supplies green electricity to over 45,000 customers in Ireland

The 'Panhandle Loop' will be an 800-mile transmission project allowing Airtricity to bring 4,200MW of wind energy to Texas - enough to supply over one million homes with energy.

The planned investment of over $10bn in new generating capacity, will include 2,000MW of gas-fired power and 1,800MW of coal-fired power

The 4,200MW of wind energy which Airtricity plans to build along the loop will have a major impact on reducing global warming by preventing the release of over six million tonnes of harmful CO2 emissions released into the atmosphere each year.

Airtricity chief executive Eddie O'Connor said: "Airtricity is proud to be the initiator of this landmark project which, in many ways, mirrors the vision for our revolutionary Supergrid project, which will bring security of supply, reduced energy costs and large scale interconnection to Europe.

"The Panhandle Loop project is like constructing a power station greater than the entire generation for Ireland and building it by 2010.

"This free source of energy can replace other generation sources that have fuel costs (such as coal and gas).

"In addition to this, when the wind continues to blow for a significant period of time (as it does in the Texas Panhandle) the forward price for fossil fuels goes down because of the reduced demand," said O'Connor.

Airtricity says that it has also been demonstrated in Scotland how the risk-reducing effects of wind and other renewable sources of energy reduces the overall price to the customer.

A study carried out by the late Dr. Shimon Awerbuch into the risk-mitigating effects of having wind energy form part of the generating mix in Scotland concluded that wind energy, because of its fixed price, reduced the overall risk of operating the Scottish system.

Airtricity is actively developing wind farms onshore and offshore throughout Ireland, UK, Germany, the Netherlands, the US and Canada.

Sharyland Utilities LP has filed the proposal with the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) to build the 345 kV electric transmission loop in the Texas Panhandle. According to the company, the project, called the Panhandle Loop, will connect up to 8,000 MW of wind, natural gas and coal-fired generation to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) electric market. The project is supported by Airtricity Inc., Babcock & Brown Renewable Holdings Inc., Celanese Ltd. and Occidental Energy Ventures Corp.

"Quite simply, this proposal will bring the ERCOT grid to the Panhandle," says Hunter Hunt, president of Sharyland. "That way, the entire state can enjoy the benefits of the tremendous wind resources located there as well as the substantial gas and coal resources."

The project is slated for completion in late 2010, given approval from the PUCT, Hunt adds.