Xcel Energy is moving closer toward boosting wind energy production in the Texas Panhandle.
As The Lubbock Avalanche-Journal reports, Xcel has asked the Public Utility Commission of Texas to approve their plan to build a wind farm near Plainview, which is halfway between Amarillo and Lubbock. The plan would also create a wind farm in New Mexico. Combined, the farms would create over 1,200 megawatts of new wind generation. A stipulation filed by Xcel is aimed at easing investor worries in the wind projects.
Xcel spokesman Wes Reeves told the Avalanche-Journal that such negotiations are common at this point in the process. Xcel hopes to begin construction on the project near Plainview in the second quarter of this year.
The wind farm will likely complete construction in 2019. The New Mexico farm will be completed in 2020.