US vehicle manufacturer General Motors has signed an agreement with EDP Renewables North America to buy 30MW of energy from the planned 250MW Hidalgo Wind Farm in Edinburg, Texas.
15 of the wind farms 261ft tall turbines will generate power to be used to build up to 125,000 trucks a year at its Arlington Assembly Plant in Texas.
The plant produces more than 1200 vehicles daily including the Chevrolet Suburban and Cadillac Escalade.
Using turbines with blades that span the length of a football field in diameter will produce 115m kWh, enough to manufacture more than half of the plant’s annual vehicle output.
The new power source will start to be used at the plant in the fourth quarter of 2016 and should save the company $2.8m in energy costs every year.
“Our investment is helping accelerate the proliferation of clean energy in Texas and the use of wind as a reliable, renewable source of energy,’ said GM vice president Jim DeLuca.
“Our sustainable manufacturing mindset benefits the communities in which we operate across the globe.”
EDPR North America chief executive Gabriel Alonso said: “We are pleased to enter into this agreement with General Motors and look forward to providing clean and more economical energy for GM’s Arlington Assembly plant in the coming years.”
From the first quarter of 2016, wind energy will help power three GM Mexico facilities.
Image: Wind turbines will be used at GM’s Arlington Assembly Plant (Sxc)
