Automotive Manufacturing

Representatives for PGA of America, Cushman & Wakefield, Adolfson & Peterson and Page gathered to celebrate the midpoint of construction for the new PGA of America corporate headquarters in Frisco, Texas. high-caliber workforce, which allows companies like Wesco to innovate and prosper,” said Governor Greg Abbott. “As a thriving aviation and aerospace hub, Fort Worth is the ideal location for Wesco to continue to grow its operations and serve its customers. I am proud to welcome Wesco to Texas, along with the more than 200 jobs it is bringing to the region and look forward to working together to keep Texas the number one economy in the nation.”

“Incora is a leading, global provider of innovative supply chain solutions, and the Dallas-Fort Worth area already is home to two of our offices and our largest, by volume, distribution center in the world,” said Incora Chief Executive Officer Todd Renehan. “Our new, larger office space in Fort Worth will allow us to bring our teams together to increase efficiency, encourage collaboration and support the future growth of our business. This centrally located site also will offer more accessibility and availability to our customers and colleagues across the U.S. and in Europe.”

Not all headquarters projects in Texas are relocations. Some Texas companies want to grow where they are. State Bank of Texas (SBT), $1-billion asset full-service commercial bank headquartered in Dallas, announced in March it has finalized plans to build a new headquarters building in the Las Colinas Urban Center. Construction is expected to be completed mid2023. The building project was announced by Chan Patel, CEO and board chair of SBT. “We are tremendously pleased to be locating our headquarters in the vibrant Las Colinas Urban Center,” said Patel. “This investment further strengthens our commitment to the Irving/Las Colinas community and allows our business ample room to continue growing.”

CONVERGENCE OF RESOURCES

Photo: iStock

The data and the projects point to renewable power leadership in Texas. by ADAM BRUNS

U.S. Wind Turbine Database operated by the U.S. Geological Survey, Berkeley National Laboratory and American Clean Power reported 67,814 turbines in action as of January 2021, with a total rated capacity of 111,351 MW.

Guess where you can find 16,292 of them? Texas, whose turbine tally comes to 24% of the entire nation’s total. Whether made by Siemens, GE, Gamesa or others, they’re clustered in bunches at major wind farms that especially like to locate in the Texas panhandle. Travel to the land around the towns of Brady and Eden and you’ll find four farms with a total of 382 turbines on four farms that include the Rattlesnake Wind Project (64 turbines and 160 MW) and the Heart of Texas Project (64 turbines, 179.9 MW).

The state’s wind infrastructure also includes its share of wind power manufacturing facilities. The National Renewable Energy

Infographic data courtesy of Powering Texas

Laboratory’s Wind Prospector tool includes a data layer dedicated to the locations of U.S. wind turbine and component manufacturing and supply chain facilities. A quick check in spring 2021 found 11 facilities operating in the state. They include tower manufacturing sites from Broadwind in Abilene and GRI Renewable Industries in Amarillo; nacelle manufacturing sites from CB Gear and Machine in Houston and NGC Renewables in Fort Worth; and assorted other operations from Nacogdoches to Waco to Sweetwater.

However, Powering Texas, an alliance of stakeholders “bound by a mission to educate and advocate for innovative, sustainable electricity generation in Texas, including the expansion of renewable wind energy,” reports 41 wind power-related manufacturing sites in the state. The group’s members include 44 communities, chambers of commerce and economic development groups from Port Corpus Christi to Lubbock, and include UT Permian Basin, as even the region known for its oil and gas knows where the future is.

As reported by Reuters in February 2021, wind generates 20% of total electricity in Texas, natural gas supplies 47.4%, coal supplies 20.3% and solar supplies 1.1%.

Among the facts assembled by Powering Texas: energy jobs across the nation, Texas claims 26,000 (more than 21%).

• The wind industry provides an estimated $192 million in annual rural landowner payments as well as an estimated $285 million in state and local taxes and other payments. Currently installed renewable energy projects in

Texas will generate more than $4.7 billion in new tax revenue to local communities over their lifetime.

• Corporate customers have signed contracts for more projects in Texas than any other state, accounting for 39% of all contracted capacity. “The volume of companies is also growing,” says Powering Texas. “Of the 29 companies that announced wind deals in 2019, 18 were first-time buyers of wind energy. A diverse group of companies are purchasing wind energy, including Facebook,

Amazon McDonald’s, Walmart,

General Motors, and more.”

Here Comes the Sun

“In Texas, we lead the nation in wind energy. By the end of next year, we will lead the nation in solar power,” said Texas Governor Greg Abbott in December 2020, noting the state’s ability to provide companies with reliable renewable energy to help them achieve carbon neutrality goals.