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Enel Green Power North America Inc. (EGP NA) purchased a 51% stake in the Rocky Ridge Wind Project (Rocky Ridge). Construction activities at the project’s location in Kiowa County and Washita County, Oklahoma, are planned to start in the fall.
Rocky Ridge was developed by EGP NA’s development partner TradeWind Energy and has a power purchase agreement with the Western Farmers Electric Cooperative. This will be EGPNA's first project to be constructed in Oklahoma. The new wind farm’s total installed capacity is of approximately 150 MW. Once fully operational, the plant will generate approximately 630 million kWh annually, supplying power to approximately 55,000 US households and avoiding the emission of over 470,000 tons of CO2 a year into the atmosphere.
“We are proud to announce another wind project to be added to our North America portfolio. We are delivering on our plan of profitable growth, our capacity and our overall footprint in this country. Partnering with TradeWind has already proven to be successful in our wind projects in Kansas and I am sure that this new project will be just as successful.” commented Francesco Starace, Chief Executive Officer of Enel Green Power.
“We are excited to see our first project moving forward in Oklahoma.” said Rob Freeman, Chief Executive Officer of TradeWind Energy. “Rocky Ridge will provide affordable, sustainable energy to the customers of Western Farmers Electric Cooperative and will provide much needed investment and jobs to the local area for years to come.”
Rocky Ridge is the fourth wind project that EGPNA and TWE have worked on together through the partnership launched by the two companies back in 2006. With the entry in operation of the Caney River and Rocky Ridge projects, the partnership will have commissioned 600 MW in new wind power projects - the already operational Smoky Hills 1 and 2 (totaling around 250 MW), the Caney River wind farm, currently under construction (200 MW), and the Rocky Ridge wind farm (150 MW) presently in advanced development.
About Enel Green Power
Enel Green Power (enel.com) is the Enel Group company dedicated to the development and management of power generation from renewable resources around the world, with a presence in Europe and the Americas. It is an industry leader worldwide thanks to some 22 billion kilowatt hours generated from water, sun, wind and geothermal, meeting the energy needs of some 8 million households and avoiding 16 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions each year. The company has an installed capacity of more than 6,100 MW, with over 620 facilities around the world and a generation mix that includes wind, solar, hydro, geothermal and biomass.
About Enel Green Power North America
Enel Green Power North America, Inc., part of Enel Green Power, is a leading owner and operator of renewable energy plants in North America with projects operating and under development in 21 U.S. states and three Canadian provinces. Currently, EGP-NA owns and operates over 70 plants with an installed capacity of around 800 MW powered by renewable hydropower, wind, geothermal and biomass energy. At present the company is operating wind projects in five US states (New York, Minnesota, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas) and one Canadian province (the Newfoundland and Labrador province).
About TradeWind Energy
TradeWind Energy, LLC (tradewindenergy.com), is one of the largest independent wind project development companies in the U.S. Founded in 2003, the Lenexa, Kan., based company partners with local utilities, cooperatives, environmental groups, municipalities and landowners to develop mutually beneficial wind energy projects. TradeWind Energy, the 2009 recipient of the Kansas Governor’s Energy Achievement Award, takes great pride in its ability to deliver low-cost wind energy while maintaining an uncompromising commitment to long-term project quality. The company is actively developing 4,500 MW of clean, renewable energy in 11 states throughout the central United States. TradeWind Energy developed the 250 megawatt Smoky Hills Wind Project located in central Kansas – the largest wind project in the state.
About Western Farmers Electric Cooperative
WFEC is a generation and transmission cooperative headquartered in Anadarko, Okla. Additional plant facilities are located in Hugo, Okla. and Mooreland, Okla. Member-owners consist of 23 distribution cooperatives, located in Oklahoma and New Mexico, and the Altus Air Force Base, which, in turn, serve the total electric needs of more than half a million people. WFEC owns and operates generating plants at three locations and maintains more than 3,600 miles of transmission line. The cooperative has a combined capacity of over 1,700 megawatts, including hydropower allocation and, with the addition of the Rocky Ridge Wind Project, purchases all of the electricity produced from four wind generation projects in Oklahoma.
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