Spain-based, Greenalia seeks to acquire controversial Carma Ranch for future wind energy development despite recently passed foreign legislation
DEL RIO, TEXAS - JAN. 17. 2023 – Spain-based renewable energy company, Greenalia, is acquiring the rights to develop the Blue Hills Wind LLC project on the Chinese-owned Carma Ranch in Val Verde County, Texas.
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), previously granted GH America (GHA), a subsidiary of China-based Xinjiang Guanghui Industry Investment Co., the ability to develop the 46-turbine project until the Texas legislature passed SB 2116, also known as the Lone Star Infrastructure Protection Act, in 2021. The act prohibits entities from China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea access to Texas’ critical infrastructure. ERCOT, however, is allowing the project to proceed if the real estate is conveyed along with the development rights to Greenalia. GHA, controlled by Xinjiang oligarch Sun Guangxin, currently owns over 130,000 acres in the county with plans for more wind and solar developments.
The Devils River Conservancy (DRC), which played a pivotal role in the passage of the Lone Star Infrastructure Protection bill through their advocacy campaign, Don’t Blow It Texas, has partnered with the Lower Pecos Landowner Group (LPLG) and other locals, to express their opposition to the proposed wind farm development.
The proposed 46 turbines at 700 feet in height would destroy the iconic Texas viewshed in this county and, as a result, would negatively impact ecotourism from multiple world-famous state parks and state natural areas, impair archeological findings including historic cave paintings, and cause untold damage to bat roosts and migratory pathways of birds and Monarch butterflies.
“Conservation is extremely important to landowners in the Devils and Pecos River Canyons, as evidenced by the number of conservation easements in the area,” said Alice Ball Strunk, President of The Devils River Conservancy. “Wind farms belong in areas already degraded beyond their natural state – not near land specifically conserved for future generations of Texans.”
The DRC and LPLG recently met with Nelson Zuleta, Chief Operating Officer of Greenalia, to explain the significance of the region and advocate for the continued preservation of public and private lands in Val Verde County. Following the meeting, both conservation groups hired a law firm that has subsequently sent an official letter of opposition to Greenalia. The DRC and LPLG are currently awaiting an official response from the company.
View the opposition letter here: https://devilsriverconservancy.org/drc-news/2023/1/13/letter-of-opposition-to-greenalia
“Our meeting with Greenalia was polite and productive, but we drew the hard-line that under no circumstance will the landowners, citizens, and visitors of Val Verde County stand for wind development,” said James King, LPLG Member. “To our surprise, Greenalia knew very little of the Devils and Pecos ecological significance nor the landscape characteristics of northern Val Verde County, but more importantly, they knew nothing about landowner opposition. They are doing their land purchase due diligence and were receptive to learning, meeting, and understanding why wind development here is not compatible. It will consume our special intact Pecos-Devils landscape”.
Carma Ranch, the proposed site of development, is located between the Devils and Pecos River basins which together comprise one of the last remaining wild and ecologically pristine regions in Texas. Over 157,000 acres are under conservation easements in Val Verde County, as well as the Amistad National Recreation Area. Combined, these preserved public and private lands create an intact, undisturbed landscape rich with ecological and cultural resources.
###
ABOUT THE DEVILS RIVER CONSERVANCY
The Devils River Conservancy, a 501 (c)3 organization committed to treasuring, preserving, and protecting the Devils River, its springs, and the lands within its water catchment area. The Devils River is a place many consider to be the last pristine river in Texas. Through education, research and advocacy, the DRC is on a mission to ensure the river's clean, clear waters and springs will continue to flow according to their historical and natural regimes. To learn more about the Devils River Conservancy, visit www.devilsriverconservancy.org
ABOUT THE LOWER PECOS LANDOWNER GROUP
Lower Pecos Landowners Group (“LPLG”) are riverside landowners who are committed to protecting, managing, and restoring the Lower Pecos River and its associated tributaries and uplands. Partnering with a variety of organizations, agencies, landowners, and stakeholders, the Lower Pecos Landowners Group will be a catalyst for developing resources and best practices for landowners through communication and action and stands ready to react to threats to this wild and natural Texas river.