The agreement, which represents a $1.1bn commitment to renewable energy by Detroit Edison, paves the way for Invenergy Wind to install and operate a 30,000-acre wind farm near Breckenridge in Gratiot County, Michigan.
The new wind farm is comprised of 125 GE wind turbines each with a generating capacity of 1.6MW and is expected to be operational by late 2011.
The contract provides Detroit Edison with an option to buy a portion of the project after construction is completed, and if the utility exercises the option, the remaining capacity will remain as purchased power for it.
Detroit Edison expects the majority of its renewable energy to come from wind resources and it has acquired land rights to nearly 80,000 acres in Huron County in Michigan’s Thumb region for development of large-scale wind projects.
Detroit Edison is an investor owned electric utility serving approximately 2.1 million customers in southeastern Michigan.
