ALLETE Clean Energy will now build, own, operate and sell the wind power generated from the wind farm to two Fortune 500 companies under 15-year power sales agreements.
The wind farm’s purchase includes the two power sales agreements signed by Apex totaling up to 228MW and additional capacity to serve corporate and industrial markets. The wind farm will be located in Johnston and Pontotoc Counties in the state.
ALLETE Clean Energy president Allan S. Rudeck Jr said: “ALLETE Clean Energy is honored to work with well-known and highly respected companies to advance their sustainability goals and add renewable energy to reduce their carbon footprints.
“In addition to renewable energy, these customers are seeking competitive energy costs, and the ALLETE Clean Energy team is pleased to deliver clean energy supplies with a track record of timely, responsible and cost-effective project execution.
“Serving the corporate and industrial market opens new opportunities for ALLETE Clean Energy, and the southern Oklahoma location is strategic in that it provides a new beach-head in the highly attractive Southwest Power Pool where significant potential exists for serving new customers in the utility and corporate and industrial segments. We are pleased to be working with Apex Clean Energy to bring Diamond Spring to market.”
ALLETE plans to start the wind farm’s construction this year and expects to bring it online in next year. The wind farm will be the largest wind facility owned by ALLETE Clean Energy so far, which will generate enough clean energy to power 114,000 homes. It will also increase the company’s total wind capacity to about 1GW, located across nine sites.
The wind project is expected to generate $48m in terms of tax revenues to the Johnston and Pontotoc Counties and $54m in payments to landowners.
Apex Clean Energy president and CEO Mark Goodwin said: “Corporations are taking a clear leadership position in curbing carbon emissions, and we applaud them for aggressively working to achieve their sustainability goals.
“Apex is proud to partner with ALLETE at Diamond Spring Wind, one of several Apex projects this year that is expected to help leaders in the commercial and industrial sectors meet their clean energy commitments.”
ALLETE Clean Energy acquires, develops and operates clean and renewable energy projects. Currently, it owns and operates nearly 556MW of nameplate capacity wind energy generation in four states.
