TotalEnergies starts up solar farm with batteries south of Houston

By Claire Hao, The Houston Chronicle

Oil and gas giant TotalEnergies started commercial operation of a solar farm with battery storage south of Houston, the company announced Wednesday.

The project, known as Myrtle Solar, has a capacity of 380 megawatts of solar production and 225 megawatt-hours of companion battery systems, according to a statement from the France-based company. Myrtle Solar has 705,000 ground-mounted solar panels covering an area equivalent to 1,800 football fields, generating enough electricity to power 70,000 homes, the company said.

Seventy percent of Myrtle's production capacity will support TotalEnergies' industrial plants in the Gulf Coast region, according to the statement. The facility is part of the company's plans to curtail emissions at its Port Arthur oil refinery, its La Porte polypropylene plant and its Carville styrene and polystyrene plant in Louisiana, according to the statement.

The remaining 30% of Myrtle's capacity will supply electricity to Kilroy Realty, a Los Angeles real estate company, under a 15-year power purchase agreement, according to the statement.

Utility-scale solar has grown at a rapid pace in recent years as construction and operation costs come down, with Texas recently surpassing California as the state with the most solar power installed on the state's main grid. Federal tax incentives under the Inflation Reduction Act, which TotalEnergies said it applied to Myrtle Solar's development, have also encouraged renewable energy development.