369th largest plant in Texas · 1850th nationally
Buckthorn Westex is a solar power plant in Texas with a nameplate capacity of 154 MW. It generates roughly 354.3k MWh per year — enough to power about 33,744 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 26% reflects intermittent or peaking operation.
| Plant Name | Buckthorn Westex |
|---|---|
| Operator | Buckthorn Westex, Llc |
| City | Ft. Stockton |
| County | Pecos County |
| State | Texas |
| ZIP | 79735 |
| Coordinates | 30.57552, -102.55129 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BKTH1 | Solar Photovoltaic | Solar | 154 MW | Operating | 2018 |
| NERC Region | TRE |
|---|---|
| Balancing Authority | Electric Reliability Council Of Texas, Inc. |
Utility-scale solar farms convert sunlight directly into electricity using photovoltaic panels. They produce zero direct emissions and have no fuel cost, but generation is variable — peaking at midday and falling to zero at night. Capacity factors typically run 18–28% in good locations.