Ørsted to develop 471MW Texas PV project paired with biodiversity initiative

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email
Similar in size to the planned new project, Permian Energy Centre in Andrews County, Texas, was Ørsted ‘s first utility-scale solar-plus-storage facility in the US, completed in 2021. Image: Ørsted

Danish renewables developer Ørsted has unveiled plans to build a 471MW solar project in Lamar County, Texas, which the company says will be the largest solar PV installation in its portfolio to date.

Ørsted reached final investment decision on the project, with construction scheduled to begin later this month and completion forecast for 2024. An undisclosed portion of the power generated at the site – called the Mockingbird Solar Centre – will be sold to bioscience health and nutrition company Royal DSM as part of a ten-year corporate power purchase agreement signed between the two companies in 2021.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Unlock unlimited access for 12 whole months of distinctive global analysis

Photovoltaics International is now included.

  • Regular insight and analysis of the industry’s biggest developments
  • In-depth interviews with the industry’s leading figures
  • Unlimited digital access to the PV Tech Power journal catalogue
  • Unlimited digital access to the Photovoltaics International journal catalogue
  • Access to more than 1,000 technical papers
  • Discounts on Solar Media’s portfolio of events, in-person and virtual

Or continue reading this article for free

“Adding almost half a gigawatt to our portfolio, the decision to build Mockingbird represents an important milestone for our onshore business and for our expansion in solar PV,” said David Hardy, CEO of Region Americas at Ørsted.

As part of the project’s construction and development, Ørsted has established a collaboration with The Nature Conservancy (TNC) to protect almost 1,000 acres of endangered prairie land adjacent to the Mockingbird solar project. The land will be donated to TNC before the plant begins operation, representing Ørsted’s first biodiversity initiative in the US.

Daniel Willard, Biodiversity Specialist Americas at Ørsted said: “We need to deliver green energy for this generation while protecting natural habitats for the next. Drawing on both internal expertise and outside guidance, we’ll continue to look for opportunities to protect the prairie and ensure that native plants and pollinators thrive.”

A PV Tech Premium article from December highlighted socio-environmental impacts, including maintaining biodiversity in areas around projects, as one of the key ESG concerns facing the solar PV industry.

The addition of the Mockingbird Solar Centre to Ørsted’s portfolio brings its total onshore renewable energy capacity to 5.5GW, 1.8GW of which is solar PV. The company has said it plans to expand this onshore capacity to over 17GW by 2030.

In July the company bought German renewables developer Ostwind for around US$704 million, and shortly prior to this it established an onshore unit in Spain targeting a multi-GW development pipeline in the country.  

7 October 2025
San Francisco Bay Area, USA
PV Tech has been running an annual PV CellTech Conference since 2016. PV CellTech USA, on 7-8 October 2025 is our third PV CellTech conference dedicated to the U.S. manufacturing sector. The events in 2023 and 2024 were a sell out success and 2025 will once again gather the key stakeholders from PV manufacturing, equipment/materials, policy-making and strategy, capital equipment investment and all interested downstream channels and third-party entities. The goal is simple: to map out PV manufacturing in the U.S. out to 2030 and beyond.
21 October 2025
New York, USA
Returning for its 12th edition, Solar and Storage Finance USA Summit remains the annual event where decision-makers at the forefront of solar and storage projects across the United States and capital converge. Featuring the most active solar and storage transactors, join us for a packed two-days of deal-making, learning and networking.
16 June 2026
Napa, USA
PV Tech has been running PV ModuleTech Conferences since 2017. PV ModuleTech USA, on 16-17 June 2026, will be our fifth PV ModulelTech conference dedicated to the U.S. utility scale solar sector. The event will gather the key stakeholders from solar developers, solar asset owners and investors, PV manufacturing, policy-making and and all interested downstream channels and third-party entities. The goal is simple: to map out the PV module supply channels to the U.S. out to 2027 and beyond.

Read Next

July 4, 2025
Chinese PV provider Skycorp Solar Group has announced a solar plant acquisition and development strategy following unanimous board approval.
July 4, 2025
The US House of Representatives has passed the final version of the reconciliation bill that is now going to US President Donald Trump’s desk for his signature before its passing.
July 4, 2025
Australian retailer AGL Energy has confirmed its acquisition of South Australia’s Virtual Power Plant (SAVPP) from Tesla.
July 3, 2025
US tracker manufacturer GameChange Solar has introduced the Genius Tracker TF, a new terrain-following solar tracker system designed to deliver “the industry’s lowest grading requirement on challenging terrain.” 
July 3, 2025
Malaysian engineering and infrastructure giant Gamuda has expanded its presence in the Australian renewables sector by partnering with Tasmanian landowners to build a 1.2GW portfolio, which includes solar PV.
Premium
July 2, 2025
ANALYSIS: China's leading PV manufacturers are locked in a new round of competition, aiming to outpace each other through record-breaking feats.

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Media Partners, Solar Media Events
September 2, 2025
Mexico City, Mexico
Solar Media Events
September 16, 2025
Athens, Greece
Solar Media Events
September 22, 2025
Bilbao, Spain
Solar Media Events
September 30, 2025
Seattle, USA
Solar Media Events
October 1, 2025
London, UK