Global oil and gas company BP has commenced construction on its 187MWDC Peacock Solar project in San Patricio County, Texas, US.
Under a long-term power purchase agreement, the facility will sell all the electricity it generates to Gulf Coast Growth Ventures (GCGV), a joint venture (JV) comprising ExxonMobil and SABIC.
The facility will provide enough renewable energy to power 34,000 households per year via direct electricity.
Located near the GCGV complex, it is estimated to generate roughly 300 jobs during the development phase and will offer more than $25m in tax revenue during the initial 25 years of the project's life.
bp America chair and president Dave Lawler said: “Securing this agreement and kicking off construction of Peacock helps support the transition to lower carbon energy, while benefiting local communities and the economy.
“It’s another way bp is accelerating growth of our US solar generation capacity, investing in America, and advancing our transformation to an integrated energy company.”
Lightsource bp, bp’s 50:50 JV partner, is designing and managing the project's construction on behalf of bp.
Meanwhile, Canada-based PCL Construction, which is the project’s primary engineering, procurement, and construction contractor, will install ultra-low carbon solar panels and trackers from American companies First Solar and GameChange Solar.
Peacock is part of bp’s goal to invest in and create 50GW of renewable energy capacity by 2030.
GCGV president Paul Fritsch said: “Once online, the solar-generated electricity will be used to partially power our plant and help reduce emissions in support of a net zero future.”
