CMS Energy purchases 51% of Texas wind farm, producing energy for Facebook and McDonald’s

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.