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CPS Energy announces 300-megawatt solar project as it aims to hit clean energy goals

Construction on the project is slated to begin next year in Goliad County.

CPS FlexPOWER Bundle Initiative
Interim President & CEO Rudy D. Garza of CPS Energy, during the signing with a new partner for the FlexPOWER Bundle initiative on Tuesday.
Gabe Hernandez | SABJ
By Donna Provencher - Reporter
May 24, 2022, 02:31pm CDT

CPS Energy announced a new partnership with Consolidated Edison Development Inc., a subsidiary of Con Edison Clean Energy Business, for the city-owned utility's larges solar project to date.

Construction is slated to begin next year on the 300-megawatt solar project in Goliad County. CPS Energy and Con Edison Development have entered into a 25-year agreement in which Con Edison will invest $19 million in Goliad and Bexar County for the solar facility and maintain $750,000 in annual spending with local suppliers and vendors. It will also contribute $500,000 over a 10-year period to support CPS Energy's community projects and education, said the company's president and CEO Mark Noyes.

Noyes said the project is expected to create 250-300 temporary jobs, with hiring priority for those in the San Antonio area. Con Edison Development will also be hiring up to eight full-time positions.

The project is the first stage of CPS Energy's FlexPower Bundle, the renewable energy goals set in 2020 that aim to replace some of the 1,700 megawatts of energy derived from aging power plants.

Garza said with San Antonio being one of the fastest-growing metropolitan areas in the country — expected to add 2 to 3 million more residents in the next two or three decades — use of renewable energy is imperative.

"Through this 25-year solar partnership CPS energy will reach one-third of our goal to add 900 megawatts of clean, more sustainable energy," the utility's interim CEO Rudy Garza said. "With our community growing, our energy and infrastructure needs will grow with it."

Mayor Ron Nirenberg noted that this is just the first of many San Antonio clean energy projects coming.

"This is the biggest solar energy project in CPS Energy's portfolio to date, (but) is only one-third of the solar-generated capacity added through the FlexPower initiative," he said. "The way we generate power is the way to ensure a sustainable environment."

San Antonio remains the top city in Texas and fifth city nationally for solar-generated capacity, according to the Environment Texas Research and Policy Center's most recent ranking, which designated it a "Solar Superstar," maintaining its status from last year. It has 354.9 megawatts of solar capacity, or approximately 247.4 watts per person. It's a notable increase of 39% since 2020.

FlexPOWER Bundle Initiative

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