Italian energy company Enel’s subsidiary Enel Green Power has started construction on the expansion of the Cimarron Bend wind farm in Clark County, Kansas.
The expansion will includes addition of 74 turbines, which will increase the wind farm’s capacity from the present 400MW to 599MW, making it the largest wind farm in the North American portfolio of Enel.
For the project, the company is investing more than $281m and it is expected to be completed by the end of this year.
Built in two phases, the 400MW Cimarron Bend entering into service in 2016 and 2017, which involved an overall investment of over $891m.
After the 199MW expansion is completed, the Cimarron Bend project is expected to generate more than 2.7TWh of clean energy per year, while 1.8 million tonnes of CO2 emissions will be offset from entering the atmosphere.
Enel Green Power CEO Antonio Cammisecra said: “As one of the largest renewable power producers in North America, Enel Green Power is committed to excellence in not only developing and constructing new projects but also strategically expanding our existing fleet.
“The expansion of Cimarron Bend is a testament to both the maturity of our wind operations and our commitment to growing a portfolio of state-of-the-art renewable plants that will generate value for many years to come, while providing sustainable energy.”
Power from the expanded Cimarron Bend capacity will be sold to Evergy and MJMEUC
From the new capacity, a 150MW portion will be sold to Evergy, under a 15-year bundled power purchase agreement (PPA).
The PPA is expected to support Evergy’s Renewables Direct programme, which allows commercial and industrial customers to include a percentage of their energy usage from renewable sources.
Evergy renewable sources products and solutions, manager Kevin Brannan said: “As we continue implementing more renewable energy into our overall generation mix, Evergy is pleased to partner with Enel on this expansion project to add to our total wind capacity.
“This helps us reduce carbon emissions and increases our wind energy levels, which leads us toward more sustainable operations and ultimately benefits our customers.”
A 30MW portion from the expansion capacity will be sold to the Missouri Joint Municipal Electric Utility Commission (MJMEUC), a Missouri Public Utility Alliance (MPUA) joint action agency, under a 12-year bundled PPA.
MJMEUC supplies municipal power to over 60 communities in Missouri and Arkansas.
