Duke Energy Renewables buys Pflugerville Solar project in Texas

Duke Energy Renewables is acquiring the 144-megawatt Pflugerville Solar project in Travis County, Texas, from Recurrent Energy, a subsidiary of Canadian Solar.

The project is expected to be in operation in mid-2021. The energy generated from the facility will be sold to Austin Energy under a 15-year power purchase agreement (PPA).

“We’re excited to add this terrific project to our growing Texas solar portfolio to meet the increasing demand for power in the state and support our longstanding relationship with Austin Energy,” Chris Fallon, president of Duke Energy Renewables, said. “In addition to providing Austin Energy’s customers with low-cost clean energy, this project will also bring significant economic benefits to the state.”

This is the fifth project that Duke Energy Renewables has acquired from Recurrent Energy, including the Rambler Solar project in Texas.

“We have a long-standing relationship with Duke Energy Renewables and are pleased that they have become the new owners of Pflugerville Solar, as it is a landmark project that will power local homes in the Austin area, supporting the clean energy transition as the Lone Star State continues to diversify its energy mix,” Shawn Qu, chairman and CEO of Canadian Solar, said.

Austin Energy serves more than 500,000 customer accounts and more than one million residents in Greater Austin. This PPA supports Austin Energy’s goal of achieving 65 percent renewable energy by the end of 2027.

“We currently meet 63 percent of our customers’ energy needs with carbon-free resources,” Austin Energy General Manager Jackie Sargent said. “Adding the Pflugerville Solar project to our portfolio will bring us closer to meeting our affordability and climate protection goals adopted by the Austin City Council and championed by our customers.”

The Pflugerville Solar project will generate enough energy to power approximately 27,000 homes. Signal Energy is performing the engineering and construction for the project. The project is expected to employ 350 workers at peak construction.

Duke Energy Renewables, a subsidiary of Duke Energy, operates wind and solar generation facilities across the United States, with a total electric capacity of 3,000 megawatts.