Clearway Completes the Repowering of its Cedro Hill Wind Farm
3 minute read | February.21.2025
Clearway has completed the repowering construction of its Cedro Hill wind farm in Webb County, Texas, increasing its capacity to 160 MW.
Orrick advised Clearway on the debt and tax equity financings for the repowering. The debt financing, which covered construction, term loans and letter of credit facilities, was provided by a consortium of banks, including DNB Markets, Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (New York Branch), National Australia Bank Limited, and Deutsche Zentral-Genossenschaftsbank (New York Branch).
THE IMPACT
The repowered Cedro Hill wind farm will generate enough electricity to power nearly 40,000 homes every year, representing a $269 million investment in South Texas. The project will extend landowner payment and property taxes in Webb County by $27 million throughout its lifespan.
“Our Cedro Hill repowering means more efficient delivery of clean, affordable energy to thousands of Texas homes and businesses every year,” said John Martinez, Senior Vice President of Operations at Clearway Energy Group. “By investing in this repowering, Clearway is investing in local tax revenue, local jobs, and payments to local landowners for decades to come.”
The repowering involved replacing the blades and nacelles across 100 turbines, ensuring that all existing materials, including fiberglass, were recycled or diverted from landfills.
Cedro Hill marks Clearway’s fifth wind farm repower in Texas and sixth across its portfolio, totaling more than 700 MW of upgrades to deploy resilient, state-of-the-art technology at sites with strong wind resources.
THE COMPANY
Clearway Energy is among the largest clean energy asset owners in the United States, with a portfolio of approximately 11.7 GW of gross generating capacity across 26 states. This includes 9.1 GW of wind, solar and battery energy storage, along with over 2.6 GW of conventional dispatchable generation, providing essential grid reliability services. Clearway’s operating fleet produces enough dependable electricity to power over 3 million homes.
THE TEAM
Louise Gibbons and Vicki Boyne led the Orrick team advising Clearway, handling the tax equity and debt financings, respectively, with John Eliason and Chelsea Munoz-Patchen providing tax advice. The team also included Nik Mathews, Cory Lankford, Sue Cowell, Darrell Thomas, Devin Canavan, Helen Aki, Molly Jergenson, Lauren Estell, Jungyoon Yang, Zach Huey and Rob Newell.