BP building 187-MW solar park in Texas to supply petrochemical complex

British oil and gas group BP plc (LON:BP) said Tuesday it has initiated construction of its 187-MW DC Peacock Solar project in Texas.

The solar facility, located in Corpus Christi in San Patricio County, will sell its entire generation to the petrochemical complex of Gulf Coast Growth Ventures (GCGV), a joint venture between ExxonMobil (NYSE:XOM) and Saudi Arabia’s SABIC, under a long-term power purchase agreement (PPA). The solar project is located close to the GCGV complex and will supply power directly to the offtaker, BP said. Expected to become operational in the second half of 2024, the solar park will partially power the plant.

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Peacock supports BP's ambition to develop 50 GW of renewables capacity by 2030.

Lightsource bp, which is half owned by BP, is developing the solar project and managing the construction. PCL Construction is the main engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor, while US-based First Solar and GameChange Solar are providing “ultra-low carbon” solar panels and trackers, respectively.