The power purchase agreement (PPA) signed by Platte River will enable it to distribute the wind power to Estes Park, Fort Collins, Loveland and Longmont, the four municipalities it serves in northern Colorado.
The new wind farm will be built less than 32kms north of its own Rawhide Energy Station, said the electric utility.
It will feature 75 wind turbines erected across 14,000 acres of land. Roundhouse will also build the additional transmission capacity required to deliver the carbon-free energy to Platte River’s four municipalities.
Enyo Renewable Energy principal Christine Mikell said: “We’re pleased to move forward and partner with Platte River on such a unique project.
“This project will become a tremendous renewable energy resource for Platte River.”
According to Platte River, a new transmission line will be built to connect the power from the Roundhouse wind farm directly to its transmission system at the Rawhide Energy Station. As a result, Platte River expects to triple its wind-based electricity output.
Further, the utility said that by the inclusion of 150MW of wind power in late 2020, it could take its carbon-free energy portfolio for its customers to 48%.
Platte River Power Authority CEO Jason Frisbie said: “Platte River took a giant leap today to further diversify the energy portfolio serving northern Colorado.
“With this acquisition, we will dramatically increase our non-carbon energy footprint on behalf of our municipalities and northern Colorado residents.”
