Alabama Power and TradeWind Energy Launch Kansas-to-Alabama Wind Project (video)

Last week, TradeWind Energy, LLC and Alabama Power Company  entered into a long-term energy purchase agreement that provides for the delivery of low-cost electricity from wind-rich Kansas across five states to communities in Alabama.

The 20-year power purchase agreement between TradeWind Energy and Alabama Power for 202 MW and all associated renewable energy credits (RECs) was approved by the Alabama Public Service Commission. TradeWind Energy’s plan allows flexibility for construction of a wind project between 200 and 300 MW. The Project will be constructed across approximately 42,000 acres and hosted by over 120 landowners in Grant, Haskell and Finney Counties in Kansas. Under the agreement, Alabama Power has the flexibility to use the electricity from the wind project to serve its customers.

The Buffalo Dunes Wind Project will represent an approximately $300 million investment resulting in significant economic benefit to the state of Kansas and it will help to stabilize and lower energy costs over the life of the contract for customers on the other end of the line in Alabama. An estimated 150 new jobs will be created during the construction phase of the project with the fully operational project requiring about15 new full-time workers. Commercial operation is anticipated to begin in December 2013.

The Buffalo Dunes project represents another example of the potential for continued growth of Midwest wind resources to serve the needs of power customers in the eastern United States.

“TradeWind is so pleased to be building a second large project for Alabama Power,” said Frank Costanza, TradeWind Executive Vice President Business Development. “We want to commend the leadership of Alabama Power for its continued commitment to alternative sources of power that can provide direct economic benefit to its customers.”

“Our agreement with Buffalo Dunes Wind Project is great for our customers, in multiple ways,” said John Kelley, Alabama Power’s director of Forecasting and Resource Planning. “It will deliver to us cost-effective electricity and helps further diversify our energy portfolio. What’s more, it provides us renewable energy credits that we have the option of using ourselves or selling to others, with the proceeds benefiting our customers.”

This is the third project developed by TradeWind Energy that will deliver energy from the Midwest into the Southeastern United States.

In total, over the past 18 months TradeWind has entered long term power purchase agreements that will lead to the construction of four wind projects in Kansas and Oklahoma that, combined, will deliver about 800 MW of energy to utility customers in the 10 states served by Alabama Power, Tennessee Valley Authority and Western Farmers Electric Cooperative.

Video from Alabama Power Company describing the benefits of their new agreement with TradeWind.

 

Photo Credit: Leaflet/WikiCommons

Source: Alabama Power Company