Enel operate new US wind projects

The two wind farms bring Enel Green Power’s total renewable capacity added in 2020 across the US and Canada to 865 MW. The investment in the construction of White Cloud amounts to around US$380 million, while that of the Cimarron Bend expansion amounts to over US$281 million.

The overall 599 MW facility of Cimarron Bend is expected to generate a total of more than 2.7 TWh/yr, equivalent to avoiding around 1.7 million tpy of CO₂ emissions. Enel Green Power will sell the facility’s energy output through a 150 MW power purchase agreement (PPA) with Evergy, an investor-owned utility based in Kansas City, Missouri, and a 30 MW PPA with the Missouri Joint Municipal Electric Utility Commission (MJMEUC), a joint action agency of the Missouri Public Utility Alliance (MPUA).

White Cloud, on which construction began in summer 2019, is due to generate around 950 GWh/yr while avoiding the emission of more than 621 000 tpy of CO₂. Enel Green Power signed a PPA with Associated Electric Cooperative Inc. (AECI) in which the Springfield (Missouri)-based electric cooperative will purchase the entire energy output from the plant. In Missouri, Enel Green Power also operates the 300 MW Rock Creek wind farm in Atchison County which sells its entire output to Evergy.

The construction process for Cimarron Bend and White Cloud followed the company’s Sustainable Construction Site model, a collection of best practices aimed at minimising the impact of plant construction on the environment. The Cimarron Bend construction site team adopted a recycling program and is set be donating office supplies as well as equipment to local schools in need with the aim to extend the products’ useful lives alongside diverting them from landfills. The White Cloud operations and maintenance (O&M) building is a refurbished and repurposed space, an approach adopted to reduce the costs and environmental impact from construction of new O&M buildings.

In the final stages of construction, Enel Green Power closely monitored the emergent COVID-19 pandemic and responded to protect the health of its workers and the community. While abiding by the guidance of public officials, the company implemented strict travel guidelines and enhanced sanitation, as crews implemented safe working habits and physical distancing instructions. Furthermore, the company announced over US$1.3 million in contributions to relief efforts across the US and Canada.

Enel Green Power has three projects under construction in the US: the 299 MW Aurora wind farm in North Dakota and two solar and storage projects in Texas: Lily (181 MW) as well as Azure Sky (284 MW). As part of the company’s three-year strategic plan announced in November 2020, the company is planning to bring an additional 3 GW of renewable capacity online in North America by 2023.

Read the article online at: https://www.energyglobal.com/wind/31122020/enel-operate-new-us-wind-projects/