Sun Guangxin's plans to build a massive wind farm in Texas are set to meet roadblocks after Texas lawmakers caught wind of the project. The Chinese billionaire, who has a military background and close ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), purchased up to 140,000 acres of land in Texas' Val Verde, conveniently located near the Laughlin Air Force Base. But Texas lawmakers are not having it.
According to the New York Post, Sun's plans to build and operate the Blue Hills Wind Farm, which may potentially access Texas' independently run electricity grid, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), was hindered by the Lone Star Infrastructure Protection Act signed by Gov. Greg Abbott in June. This legislation prevents foreign investors from "hostile nations" from accessing critical infrastructure, including the Texas power grid.
The Lone Star Infrastructure Protection Act was in fact a direct response to the CCP members' attempts to build a wind farm near the Laughlin Air Force Base, Republican Sen. Donna Campbell of San Antonio said. Concerned Texans raised concerns over allowing a foreign organization, especially one from China led by a man with close ties to CCP, from accessing the Texas power grid as it may put the grid at risk for hacks such as the one at the Colonial Pipeline.
Concerns over Sun's new wind farm were raised when environmental conservationists exposed his plans that they believe would affect the Devils River. But upon investigation, they found that Sun was not only a wealthy businessman who spent about $110 million purchasing land in Texas, but was also a former official of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) with close ties to Chinese authorities in the Xinjiang province. Sun's company, GH America, also previously hired military and government officials.
Devils River Conservancy Julie Lewey admitted that in the beginning, they approached the situation with an environmental angle in mind, with concerns of the ecological impact of the project on the river and other water and landforms in Texas.
She said that the issue turned political, saying, "We started to roll out the narrative and really just spread awareness and understanding that this company from China was planning to connect to our critical infrastructure. We're not xenophobic but we are concerned for our national security, as every red-blooded American is."
According to the Daily Mail, Sun had been purchasing land since 2016, endeavors that largely went unnoticed. In 2017, a French company called Akuo Energy then built the Rocksprings wind farm on land leased from Sun, who has a $2.1 billion fortune. The 59 year old Chinese billionaire businessman said through a spokesperson that he plans to lease the land to other companies to operate the wind farm.
Under Texas' Lone Star Infrastructure Protection Act, foreign businesses from countries considered "hostile nations" are prevented from accessing the U.S.' critical infrastructure. Such "hostile" nations named in the legislation are China, Iran, Russia, and North Korea, countries which are led by communist governments that do not agree with America's democracy.
