Dive Brief:
- Great River Energy this week announced it has signed a purchase power agreement with an affiliate of NextEra Energy Resources LLC for development of a 300 MW wind project to be located in south-central North Dakota.
- NextEra wants to begin construction in 2019, with the project operational in the same year.
- Midwest Energy News reports Great River, Minnesota's second biggest utility, is shifting away from coal, embracing a mix of gas and wind generation instead. That means it is cutting back on power produced by its 1,100 MW Coal Creek Station, which runs at about 33% capacity when the wind is strong.
Dive Insight:
When the Emmons-Logan wind project is complete, Great River will have more than 700 MW of wind capacity—enough to meet Minnesota’s Renewable Energy Standard, as well as providing carbon-free power for its voluntary subscriptions such as an electric vehicle charging program, the company said in its announcement.
NextEra has proposed installing 133 General Electric wind turbines in Emmons and Logan counties, N.D., generating approximately $1.4 million in taxes for local communities each year.
John DiDonato, vice president of wind development for NextEra Energy Resources, said the project would be located in a part of the state "where we have a long history and deep relationships, and we are happy to be adding jobs and tax base to the local economy.”
Great River already purchases more than 150 MW of clean energy from NextEra Energy; the new PPA will triple its contracted power from the company. Now, the utility purchases 51 MW from NextEra Energy Resources’ Ashtabula II Wind Energy Center located in eastern North Dakota, and 100 MW from its Endeavor I Energy Center in Iowa.
Great River is a transmission and generation cooperative providing wholesale electric service to 28 Minnesota distribution cooperatives. The utility has a history of looking for innovative energy solutions—it has more than 1 GWh of energy storage in 110,000 electric water heaters currently under its control.