The Boiling Springs wind farm was constructed with a capacity of 148 MW in Woodward County, Oklahoma, with a total of 60 GE turbines.
The East Raymond onshore wind farm has an installed capacity of 200 MW and is located in South Texas. The project is powered by 91 Vestas turbines. Next to the plant, RWE is currently constructing the West Raymond wind farm with an installed capacity of 240 MW.
Commissioning of the plant has been scheduled for the first quarter of 2021. RWE will continue to operate and maintain the wind farms on behalf of the project partners while retaining a 25 percent interest in the projects.
“We are delighted that with East Raymond our eighth project on the Texas coast is now fully operational. Additionally, we are excited to bring online Boiling Springs, our first project in the state of Oklahoma, a new and highly-attractive market for us. Thanks to our experienced teams we were able to continue to deliver outstanding projects in a difficult environment with an unrelenting focus on health and safety. We are also grateful for the support of the local communities and landowners,” explains Silvia Ortín Rios, COO Onshore Wind and Solar PV Americas at RWE Renewables.
RWE has already secured the offtake for both wind farms. For the East Raymond wind farm a 12-year Power Purchase Agreement with Austin Energy was signed back in 2019. In the same year RWE agreed on a Power Purchase Agreement with American Honda Motor Co., Inc. The carmaker has contracted a large part of the electricity generated at Boiling Springs (proportionately from 120 MW installed capacity). The offtake is part of one of the largest-ever renewable energy purchases in the US by the automotive industry to date.
North America is one of the key strategic markets RWE wants to continue to expand into, building on a strong development pipeline. RWE’s installed capacity in the US accounts for one-third of the company’s total capacity in the area of renewables.
"We are rigorously expanding our renewables portfolio and North America is one of our strategic core markets in this process. Boiling Springs and East Raymond are already the 26th and 27th onshore wind farms we have completed in the US. They will supply clean and affordable electricity, primarily for Honda’s vehicle manufacturing and Austin Energy’s customers. Our integrated business model encompasses all stages of the value chain – from project development, to construction and operation, right through to commercialization. The offtake agreements with Honda and Austin Energy demonstrate that this is exactly the right approach,” said Anja-Isabel Dotzenrath, CEO of RWE Renewables.
