CMS Energy recently announced it has purchased a majority stake in Aviator Wind, a 525-MW wind energy project in Texas that supports efforts by Facebook and McDonald’s to achieve clean energy goals. According to the company, the project located in Coke County, 250 miles southwest of Dallas, will start operations by fall 2020.
The wind farm consists of 136 model GE-116, 2.72 MW Wind Turbine Generators (WTGs), all at 90-meter hub heights and 55 model GE-127, 2.82 MW Wind Turbine Generators (WTGs), all at 89-meter hub heights.
Aviator Wind will be operated by CMS Enterprises, a subsidiary of CMS Energy that develops, owns and operates utility-scale renewable energy facilities.
CMS Enterprises focuses on U.S.-based utility-scale wind, solar and energy storage projects it can develop, own and operate for large customers, including electric cooperatives and municipalities. CMS Enterprises owns and operates 11 independent power plants and more than 1,800 MW of generation nationwide.
“Facebook and McDonald’s join a growing roster of CMS Enterprises customers that have access to the full spectrum of energy products and services that we provide under one roof,” said Richard Mukhtar, president of CMS Enterprises.
Aviator Wind will help Facebook – the largest corporate purchaser of renewable energy in the U.S. in 2019 – reach its goal to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 75% and convert 100% of its operations with renewable energy this year.
McDonald’s is the first restaurant company to set a greenhouse gas emissions reduction target approved by the Science Based Targets initiative. “Through this project, we’re able to significantly generate progress toward our Climate Action Target to reduce emissions related to McDonald’s restaurants and offices by 36% by 2030,” said Emma Cox, sustainability manager for McDonald’s.
CMS Enterprises purchased the project’s majority stake from funds managed by Ares Management Corporation’s Infrastructure and Power strategy, which constructed and will manage the project. Kansai Electric Power is the project’s other major partner.
