Port of Corpus Christi setting up first solar farm

The 81,000 plus panel project will be in San Patricio County on Port of Corpus Christi property near Midway Junction.

This partnership is the latest initiative undertaken by the Port of Corpus Christi in the renewable energy space.

The lease agreement provides Buckeye with a two-year development term to evaluate the feasibility of constructing the solar farm project on 55.32 hectares of Port-owned property. North of the proposed lease premises are 45.3ha., owned by Buckeye, yielding a combined acreage of 100.4ha available to construct the farm, which will have the capacity to produce 88,000 MWh of electricity per year.

“This is an exciting day for the Port of Corpus Christi as this lease agreement reinforces our commitment not only to embrace renewable energy developments, we have long made a priority, but to solidify the Port as a thought leader in the global energy marketplace, with the support of our partners at Buckeye,” said Sean Strawbridge, Chief Executive Officer for the Port of Corpus Christi.

In March 2022, the Port of Corpus Christi adopted an updated environmental policy to further clarify goals and set timeframes to achieve them over the next few years.

“This new agreement deepens and further expands our longstanding partnership with the Port of Corpus Christi,” said Todd Russo, Chief Executive Officer for Buckeye Partners, L.P. “Buckeye is privileged to invest and work across South Texas, and we’re excited to help grow the region’s economy while diversifying our energy and lower-carbon solutions.”

Commercial operations of the solar farm are tentatively scheduled to begin in Q4 2025.

Charles W. Zahn Jr., Port of Corpus Christi Commission Chairman, said: “While we remain fully committed to traditional forms of energy – which will continue to power our world for decades to come – new initiatives like this can complement them by offering renewable energy for production and other operations.”

Add Seatrade Maritime News to your Google News feed.