BP has started construction on its 187MW Peacock Solar project, that will sell electricity it generates under a long-term power purchase agreement to Gulf Coast Growth Ventures (GCGV), a joint venture between ExxonMobil and SABIC, producing materials used to manufacture clothes, food containers, packaging, agricultural film and construction materials.

Located 10 miles north of Corpus Christi in San Patricio County, Texas, Peacock will supply power directly to the facility. PCL Construction, the main engineering, procurement and construction contractor for the project, will install ultra-low carbon solar panels and trackers from manufacturers First Solar and GameChange Solar, respectively.

Peacock will also be home to a range of agricultural and biodiversity activities, including planting vegetation under and around the solar panels, including native plant species beneficial to pollinators and other wildlife. Sheep grazing will also ne included to benefit the local rural economy and keep the farmland in production – making the site an ‘agrivoltaic’ site.

According to the Solar Energy Industries Association, Texas ranks second in the nation for solar power and is poised to grow, with more than 40GW of capacity expected to be installed over the next five years. Peacock is part of BP’s aim to invest in and build renewable energy capacity of 50GW by 2030.

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