The 400 MW project will further solidfy EGP-NA’s position as the largest owner and operator of wind energy in Kansas. Once the wind farm is fully operational, the company will manage 1,100 MW of renewable energy capacity in the state. This represents more than $1.7 billion of investment for Kansas and its communities and the creation of more than 1,200 construction jobs and over 60 quality full-time jobs.
EGP-NA began construction of Cimarron Bend in April 2016, working with its long-time strategic partner, Kansas-based Tradewind Energy, to develop the project. EGP-NA and Tradewind Energy have partnered to develop numerous wind projects throughout the Midwest, including EGP-NA’s four other wind projects in the state, Caney River in Elk County, Smoky Hills I & II in Ellsworth and Lincoln Counties, and the Buffalo Dunes wind farm in Finney, Grant, and Haskell Counties.
“The State of Kansas celebrates this milestone for the Cimarron Bend wind project” said Kansas Department of Commerce Secretary Antonio Soave. “The strategic development partnership between Tradewind Energy and Enel Green Power has been an economic success story for Kansas. This achievement continues to solidify Kansas’s role as a national energy leader.”
Rafael Gonzalez, Head of Enel Green Power North America, added that the Enel Group believes in sharing its expertise as a renewable energy pioneer and that it is looking forward to advancing its work in the wind industry and furthering the progress of renewables as a whole.
The power and renewable energy credits from Cimarron Bend will be sold under two 200 MW bundled, long-term power purchase agreements; one with Google and the other with the Kansas City Board of Public Utilities (BPU). The wind farm is the first of EGP-NA’s wind projects to sell a portion of the power produced to a corporate off-taker. In addition, Cimarron Bend will play a part in helping Google, the largest corporate buyer of renewable power in the world, reach a company goal of using 100 percent renewable energy for its global operations in 2017.
EGP-NA has been investing in the local environment and community in Kansas since 2008. Company initiatives include the company’s $8.5 million investment in the restoration and conservation of the Tall Grass Prairie and over $300,000 to local education and scholarship programmes.
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