$10B wind fall in Texas

Texas Governor Rick Perry has unveiled a partnership with the private sector that will see more than $10 billion USD invested more in new wind power, deepening the oil-producing state's commitment to diversifying its energy.

Private companies have agreed to invest the required capital, while the state's Public Utility Commission directs the building of extra transmission lines, the Republican governor said in a statement.

Every 1,000 megawatts of wind power will help Texas, which also plans a host of coal-fired generators, cut carbon dioxide pollution by 6 million tons over the next 20 years, Perry said.

Some have criticized Texas's ambitious plans, saying that locating the huge turbines along the state's coast will wreck the landscape's beauty and kill too many migrating birds.

This summer, Texas unseated California as the top U.S. wind-power producer, according to the Washington, D.C.-based American Wind Energy Association.

The Texas Energy Council, which was developed in 2003 and charged with developing a long-term energy plan for the state, issued a report in December 2004 stating that 10 percent of the state's power needs come from renewable sources. The council recommended that the Public Utility Commission take steps to overcome transmission obstacles that limit the development of renewable energy sources.

"With this $10 billion announcement, the economic ripple will be more like a tidal wave as these companies pour millions of dollars into wages and salaries for Texas workers," said Perry, who - it should be noted - is running for re-election in November and had faced criticism over his recent support of new coal-generated electricity.

Companies named in the Texas partnership include:

AES Wind Generation
Airtricity Inc.
Babcock & Brown L.P.
Gamesa Energy Southwest
Horizon Wind Energy
John Deere Wind Energy
Orion Energy LLC
PPM Energy
Renewable Energy Systems (USA)
Shell WindEnergy Inc.
Superior Renewable Energy
D.H. Blattner
GE Energy LLC
Mortenson
Siemens
Trinity Structural Towers Inc.
Vestas-Americas Inc.

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