Wind

Padoma

With our acquisition of Padoma Wind Power, we've tapped into one of the cleanest and fastest growing sources of energy today.

Padoma's experienced wind development team has led the development, financing, construction and operation of more than 40 wind farms in the United States and Europe, comprising over 1,300 megawatts (MW) of installed capacity — enough to power more than one million homes.

NRG's acquisition of Padoma in 2006 was a meaningful step toward building a scalable, renewable energy platform for NRG. Through our Padoma subsidiary, NRG has plans to develop about 500 MW of new wind generation in California and Texas. In early 2008, we began construction on two west Texas wind farms: Elbow Creek, which is owned by NRG, and Sherbino, which is a joint venture with BP Alternative Energy.

Elbow Creek

Building on our commitment to zero fuel, zero-emission wind power, we began construction in March 2008 on our Elbow Creek Wind Project ― a 122 megawatt wind farm capable of supplying power to nearly 100,000 homes.

Located in Howard County (near Big Spring, TX), the Elbow Creek Wind Project will use 53 Siemens 2.3 MW wind turbine generators and be built on an approximately 6,700-acre tract of land. The ground elevation where wind turbines will be installed is approximately 2,800 feet above sea level.

Construction of the Elbow Creek Wind Project is expected to take nine months, with commercial operation achieved by year end.

Sherbino

NRG has entered into a 50-50 joint venture with BP Alternative Energy, North America Inc. to build the first phase of the Sherbino Wind Farm.

The Sherbino I Wind Farm will be a 150 MW wind project, consisting of 50 Vestas—3 MW wind turbine generators, located approximately 40 miles east of Fort Stockton in Pecos County, Texas. The Sherbino I Wind Farm will sit on more than 9,000 acres on a mesa with an elevation 3,000 feet above sea level.