Houston, TX - BP America said today that Houston will be the headquarters for BP North America Alternative Energy, a leading developer of low and zero-carbon electricity.
"Houston is a global centre for the energy industry and it is now emerging as a global centre for new and alternative energy technologies," said Robert Lukefahr, President of BP Alternative Energy North America. "Locating our group in Houston will position this team in the heart of the power industry and supports BP's long-term commitment to the Houston area.”
The BP Alternative energy team of 85 will be located in downtown Houston at the Bank of America Centre, where BP has leased 24,000 square feet.
BP Alternative Energy was launched in 2005. The company combines all of BP’s interests in low and zero-carbon power generation: wind, solar, hydrogen power projects and gas-fired power generation. BP expects to rapidly grow BP Alternative Energy to become a material contributor to the company’s performance.
The business unit’s North American portfolio currently includes gas-fired power assets at BP's refineries in Texas City and Los Angeles as well as a new high-efficiency cogeneration facility under construction at the BP Cherry Point refinery in the state of Washington. The business also has plans to build the country’s first industrial-scale hydrogen power plant with carbon capture in storage in the Los Angeles area.
In July 2006, BP Alternative Energy entered into a strategic alliance with Clipper Windpower for a long-term turbine supply agreement and the joint development of five of Clipper’s wind energy projects in the U.S. Under the agreement, BP has secured a firm and contingent order of up to 4,250 MW of Clipper turbines to support its global wind portfolio. It is believed to be the largest agreement of its kind in the history of the industry.
In August, BP announced its purchase of Greenlight Energy, Inc., a US-based developer of wind power generation projects. Through the Greenlight acquisition it gained 4,400 MW of active wind projects in the U.S. and a further 2,000 MW of early stage development projects.
With more than 8,500 MW of wind power in development, BP Alternative Energy is positioned to quickly become a leading wind energy provider in the country.
The downtown Houston office will include development and operations teams for wind energy, natural gas-fired power generation, and hydrogen power. (BP’s global solar business will continue to be headquartered in Frederick, Maryland.) As part of BP’s commitment to renewable energy, the company plans to purchase Renewable Energy Credits to offset all of its electrical needs.