INEOS Olefins & Polymers USA (INEOS O&P USA) announced it has entered into a renewable power purchase agreement which will enable the construction of a new 310-MW solar project located in north central Texas. The INEOS Hickerson Solar Farm will be constructed, owned, and operated by a subsidiary of NextEra Energy Resources LLC, the world’s largest generator of renewable energy from the wind and sun and a major player in battery storage. The entire output of the new solar project will be dedicated to INEOS O&P USA and is projected to cover the net purchased electricity load of all 14 of INEOS O&P USA’s manufacturing, fractionation, and storage facilities in the United States. The new solar project will be located in Bosque County, Texas, and is ultimately expected to produce 730,000 MW hours of clean energy annually — the equivalent of more than 68,000 homes’ annual electricity use — and is expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than 320,000 tons (290,299 tonnes) per year.
“INEOS O&P USA seeks to be a bellwether of what the petrochemical community can do to adopt renewable energy among its long-term energy demands, and this is one of many important steps being taken globally to reduce the carbon footprint of all the INEOS businesses,” said INEOS O&P USA CEO Mike Nagle.
“We’re pleased to work with INEOS O&P USA and support the company’s renewable energy goals,” said Matt Handel, senior vice president of Development for NextEra Energy Resources. “We commend INEOS for taking a role in decarbonizing the petrochemical industry.”