The Helena Energy Center is a 518MW combined wind and solar power facility situated in Texas, US.
The project is owned and developed by Ørsted, a renewable energy company. It comprises the 268MW Helena wind farm and the 250MW Sparta solar farm.
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Ørsted took the final investment decision and commenced construction on the project in March 2021. The Helena wind farm commenced operations in June 2022 while the Sparta solar power plant began operations in June 2024.
The Helena Energy Center can meet the electricity demand of more than 110,000 homes annually. It contributes significantly to Texas’ energy needs during peak demand periods with reliable and flexible wind and solar power.
The construction of the Helena Energy Center generated approximately 500 jobs.
Project location
The Helena Energy Center is located in Bee County, Texas, US. It covers an area of approximately 25,000 acres.
The project is part of Ørsted’s extensive $20bn investment in the US to enhance domestic energy generation and represents a nearly half-billion-dollar investment in Bee County.
Ørsted also developed another project, the Old 300 Solar Center, in Fort Bend County, Texas. The project boasts a total capacity of 430MW and can supply electricity to 74,600 homes annually. It commenced operations in April 2022.
Helena wind farm details
The Helena onshore wind farm, situated in Pawnee City in Bee County, spans an area of 15,000 acres (6,070ha). It is installed with 66 Vestas V-150 4.2MW series wind turbines.
The energy produced from the project is supplied at a competitive cost to the South ERCOT service territory during peak hours via the American Electric Power (AEP) transmission grid.
The annual electricity output generated by the wind farm is sufficient to supply power to approximately 90,000 homes.
Wind turbine details
The Vestas V-150 4.2MW wind turbines installed at the Helena wind farm feature 105m tall wind turbine generator towers. The turbines have a rotor diameter of 150m and a swept area of 17,670m2. The rotor blades are 73.7m long, while the nacelles are 3.4 high, 12.8m long, and 4.2m wide.
The turbines feature an aerodynamic brake incorporating full-blade feathering with three pitch cylinders. They have a two planetary stage and one helical stage gearbox and are specifically engineered for sites with low wind conditions.
In addition, the wind turbines boast an annual energy production increment of up to 21% compared to their predecessors such as the V-136-3.45MW model.
Sparta solar centre
The Sparta solar power plant, with a 250MWAC capacity, can produce more than 550,000 megawatt-hours (MWh) annually.
Located within the unincorporated community of Mineral in Bee County, the solar farm is composed of more than 600,000 solar panels.
The solar farm utilises monocrystalline photovoltaic bifacial panels, procured from Tier 1 suppliers, to guarantee high quality and efficiency. The panels are constructed using monocrystalline cells and are designed to capture sunlight on both their front and rear sides.
Financing
In May 2024, J.P. Morgan, a multinational finance company, announced an investment of $680m in tax equity financing for a portfolio of solar and storage projects in Texas and Arizona, including the Sparta solar project.
Ørsted is anticipated to possess a portfolio of solar projects capable of generating up to 2GW of power across the US by the end of 2024. The solar projects are expected to contribute a total of $125m in tax revenue over their lifespan towards public services in the local communities.
Power purchase agreements
Google, a technology provider, signed a 150MW power purchase agreement (PPA) with Ørsted in April 2023. Under the agreement, Google will off-take renewable energy from the Helena wind farm for a period of 15 years.
Johnson & Johnson, a pharmaceutical and medical products developer, signed a PPA with Ørsted in November 2021 to offtake 55MW of power from the Sparta solar farm.
A PPA is also in place with Henkel, a chemical and consumer goods company, to offtake power from the Helena wind farm and with retailer Target to offtake power from the Sparta solar farm.
