Enel starts construction on 299 MW wind farm in USA
Enel, through its US-based renewable company Enel Green Power North America (EGPNA), has started construction of the 299 MW Aurora wind farm in North Dakota. Expected to be fully operational by the end of 2020, the construction of the facility will involve an investment of around USD 450 million. Aurora is supported by a new power purchase agreement (PPA) for the sale of power generated by a portion of the plant to local utility Basin Electric Power Cooperative, which comes after the virtual PPA with Gap Inc. signed earlier this year.
The 23-year bundled PPA with Basin Electric Power Cooperative involves the purchase of energy delivered to the grid by a 142 MW portion of the Aurora wind farm.
EGPNA will also sell the energy produced by a 90 MW portion of Aurora to Gap Inc. through a 12-year virtual PPA announced in August of this year. The electricity output purchased by Gap Inc. will be enough to power over 1,500 of its retail stores, equivalent to around 50% of the electricity needs of the more than 3,300 stores operated by Gap Inc. worldwide. This electricity output is expected to total nearly 400 GWh each year, equivalent to avoiding the emission of about 262,000 tons of CO2 per year.
Aurora, under construction in Williams and Mountrail counties in North Dakota, is Enel Green Power’s second project in the state. The project is located near the 150 MW Lindahl wind farm in Williams County, which began operations in 2017. Once fully operational, the 299 MW Aurora wind project will be able to generate approximately 1.3 TWh annually while avoiding the emission of around 850,000 tons of CO2 per year.
During construction and operation of the project, EGPNA will initiate activities aimed at further improving its environmental impact, while identifying opportunities that create long-term value for both the community and the project.
With Aurora, Enel Green Power is currently building over 1.5 GW of wind and solar capacity. Enel Green Power North America is a leading owner and operator of renewable energy plants in North America with projects operating and under development in 25 US states and two Canadian provinces. The company operates around 100 plants with a managed capacity of around 5 GW powered by renewable hydropower, wind, geothermal and solar energy.
