Current plans for the wind farm call for forty General Electric 1.5 MW wind turbines in an area near Humboldt, Nebraska.
Finding wind in southeast Nebraska that will support cost-effective utility-scale wind farms is difficult. However, the developers of this facility found an area where the terrain and wind patterns combine to create wind that should allow the wind turbines to produce about 40 percent of their total capacity. This is enough for cost-effective large-scale wind energy.
The wind farm can be expected to produce annually the same amount of electricity as was used last year by 19,000 average residential customers.
Flat Water, responded to OPPD’s Request for Proposals last August for up to 80 MW of wind-generated electricity. Discussions with other respondents to the request are ongoing.
The purchase agreement brings OPPD’s amount of purchased wind energy to 95 MW, with 25 MW being purchased from a wind farm near Bloomfield, Nebraska, and 10 MW being purchased from a wind farm near Ainsworth, Nebraska. The purchase moves OPPD toward its goal of having 10 percent of its energy come from renewable sources by 2020.
In other action, the board:
authorized management to purchase a high voltage transformer from HICO America of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, for $3,133,345.
approved the engineers’ certification and authorized management to negotiate a contract with Siemens Power Generation to inspect, repair, and procure replacement parts for a combustion turbine at Sarpy County Station. The amount of the contract is not to exceed $6,500,000.
approved the engineers’ certification and authorized management to purchase an additional refurbishment kit for a coolant pump at Fort Calhoun Station from Flowserve Corporation of Irving, Texas, for $196,672.
approved a resolution of appreciation recognizing the Nebraska City Station Unit 2 project team.
