Green Energy

Electricity

In Texas, lawmakers deregulated the electricity market more than ten years ago. This has allowed retailers to buy electricity from power generators and then, through open markets, provide more competitively priced power to consumers. The Power to Choose website has more information on electricity resources in Texas, as well as links to many electricity retail providers.

AEP Texas, a unit of American Electric Power, delivers electricity to over one million homes, businesses and industries in South and West Texas. AEP Texas provides regulated energy delivery service to consumers, regardless of which Retail Electric Provider (REP) they choose.  AEP Texas also builds new power lines, restores service following outages and collects electricity use information for REPs throughout its service territory. The company also connects or disconnects service upon the orders of the REPs.  The region headquarters is in Corpus Christi. Please contact E. Ray Covey, Manager of Economic and Business Development at (512) 391-2981 or by email at ercovey@aep.com.

San Patricio Electric Cooperative, Inc. (SPEC) is a member owned “not for profit” electric cooperative providing electric power to over 11,500 members located within Aransas, Bee, Goliad, Jim Wells, Live Oak, McMullen, Nueces, Refugio and San Patricio counties. SPEC has proudly supported local communities since 1938. If you need electricity for residential, agricultural, small commercial or large commercial service please give us a call at 1 (888) 740-2220 or visit our website for more information.

Wind

Wind is one of the most abundant natural resources in San Patricio County and the Coastal Bend. With an average wind speed of 12 mph throughout the year, peaking at 14 mph in March and April, continual gusts create a strong market for wind energy. San Patricio County is, in fact, windier than Chicago, Illinois which averages only 10 mph, but is often referred to as “the windy city.”

San Patricio County has one operating wind farm with more wind energy projects under development.

Papalote Creek Wind Farm

The Papalote Creek Wind Farm, developed by E. ON Climate and Renewables (EC&R), is located in San Patricio County, between the cities of Odem and Taft, and has approximately 196 wind turbines that can produce 380 megawatts of power, supporting energy to more 100,000 homes. The turbines stand at 262 feet tall, have 3 blades, and rotate at a maximum speed of 22 rotations per minute. The majority of the electricity generated is sold to the Lower Colorado River Authority and CPS Energy which is owned by the City of San Antonio.

Papalote Creek project provides enough clean wind power to supply about 114,000 American homes while avoiding more than 684,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions and saving half of a billion gallons of fresh water every year compared with a conventional steam-driven fossil fuel plant.

The land for the wind farm is privately owned and leased to E.ON. The lease agreement allows for other uses of the land such as farming and ranching. The wind farm has added more than $500 million in value to the property tax base of San Patricio County and local school districts. Additional turbines may be added to the wind farm in the future.

Midway Farms Wind Project

The Midway Farms Wind Project is located in San Patricio County, on 16,000 acres between the towns of Portland and Taft. Situated near the Texas Gulf Coast, the project is approximately 15 miles northeast of Corpus Christi. Transmission lines running near and through the project are owned and operated by AEP. There are both 138 kV and 345 kV interconnect options for Midway Farms, which can serve local electrical loads or be exported to San Antonio, Austin, Houston or other parts of Texas.