Nike Inks Wind Power Contract in Texas

By Anca Gagiuc

Baffin Wind Farm, Texas

Avangrid Renewables, a subsidiary of Avangrid Inc., has signed its second major wind contract with Nike. The sportswear company will receive the energy equivalent to 86 megawatts of wind power generated by Karankawa Wind Farm, a 286-megawatt wind facility located in Bee and San Patricio counties, east of Mathis, Texas.

Upon completion, the Karankawa wind farm will generate sufficient energy to power more than 75,000 average households every year. For the other 200 megawatts, Avangrid Renewables has  inked a PPA with Austin Energy.

“With this agreement, Nike will source 100 percent renewable energy across our owned or operated facilities in North America,” Hannah Jones, Nike’s chief sustainability officer and vice president, Innovation Accelerator, said in a prepared statement. “Moreover, we will deliver on more than 50 percent of our commitment to source 100 percent renewable energy in our owned or operated facilities worldwide by the end of fiscal year 2025. Investing in renewable energy is good for athletes, the planet and for business, and we will continue to drive collaboration to accelerate a low-carbon growth economy.”

Ongoing partnership

The previous PPA between the two companies involved three Columbia Gorge wind farms delivering renewable energy to Nike’s worldwide headquarters near Beaverton, Ore., and nearly all of its Oregon-based facilities.

“This partnership allows us to have a very positive impact in the local communities where we own and operate these wind farms, creating jobs & economic development for rural America and advancing our country’s energy independence,” said Barrett Stambler, Avangrid Renewables Vice President of Origination, in prepared remarks.

Avangrid Renewables owns and operates more than one gigawatt of commercial wind power in Texas. Currently, the company is finalizing the development work with the local Texas counties where the Karankawa facility will be situated, with construction scheduled to start in the fall of 2018.

Big-name brands like Nike are increasingly investing in renewable energy, with Google signing a deal for 200 megawatts of wind energy generated from a new wind farm in Iowa.

Image courtesy of Avangrid Renewables