EV Maker Rivian Signs 15-year Renewable PPA to Fund Upgraded RWE Wind Farm in Texas
RWE has signed a 15-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with an electric vehicle manufacturer, Rivian for the electricity from the former’s upgraded Champion Wind project, a 127 MW wind farm in Nolan and Mitchell Counties in West Texas.
Electricity from RWE’s wind project will help supply Rivian’s fast-charging network, the Rivian Adventure Network, with 100 percent renewable energy, as part of the PPA. The project will enable Rivian achieve a carbon-free future and 7 billion miles of renewable driving.
The wind project is undergoing upgrades to install new, state-of-the-art turbine nacelles and blades to extend its lifetime. The repowering of Champion Wind will be completed in mid-2025.
Originally commissioned in 2008, Champion Wind began construction in early 2024 to repower the facility. While RWE has collaborated with M.A. Mortenson Company to build the project, Siemens Gamesa is supplying 41 turbines with new nacelles and blades, manufactured in the US, on existing towers.
In addition, as part of the repowering project, the wind farm will have six new Siemens Gamesa turbines rated at 3.1 MW. The project will generate enough electricity to power nearly 1 billion miles of renewable driving every year or the equivalent of 36,000 homes annually in Texas upon resuming operations.
RWE is partnering with REGEN Fiber, an Iowa-based company recycling wind turbine blades to produce reinforcement fibers and additives for the construction industry, to repurpose the decommissioned wind turbine blades from Champion, ensuring they will not reach in landfills. REGEN Fiber’s 100 percent recycled reinforcement fibers are added to concrete, adding strength and durability to extend infrastructure’s lifespan.
The upgrades will ensure continued support for local communities in Mitchell and Nolan Counties from the approximately $31 million in tax revenue to be delivered over the next 20 years.
