May 16--TXU Wholesale, already the state's largest purchaser of wind-generated electricity, said Tuesday it signed a five-year contract to buy all the power from a 209-megawatt wind farm southwest of Abilene.

The agreement with Chicago-based Airtricity North America will boost TXU's wind-power portfolio to 914 megawatts of electrici- ty from 965 turbines, including those at Airtricity's Ros- coe Wind Farm, which is expected to be completed by year's end. One megawatt of wind capacity can serve about 270 homes at an average output of 35 percent of ca- pacity, according to the American Wind Power Association. Texas last year reported 2,749 megawatts of wind-generated capacity, pushing it ahead of California for the first time, the wind-power association reported. That easily exceeded the state's target for renewable energy of 2,280 megawatts as of Jan.

1 and is nearly halfway to the state's target of 5,880 megawatts by 2015, set by legislation passed in 2005. TXU Wholesale Chairman Mike McCall said in a statement that the company has a goal of 1,500 megawatts of wind-power capacity. TXU also buys wind power from Airtricity's 125-megawatt-capacity wind farm southeast of Big Spring, a contract it signed last year, and from FPL Group, among others. Airtricity is headquartered in Ireland. Its North American operation has an additional 6,500 megawatts of wind power under development, the company said. ------ Jim Fuquay, 817-390-7552 jfuquay@star-telegram.com