Duke Energy announced that it will expand its renewable power business with the development of a second wind energy project in Cheyenne, Wyo. The company also announced power purchase agreements with two regional utilities and the procurement of wind turbines for the project.
The 42-megawatt Silver Sage Windpower Project will be Duke Energy's third wind facility in the state of Wyoming. The company brought the 29-megawatt (MW) Happy Jack Windpower Project in Cheyenne on line in September 2008 and plans to complete its 99-MW Campbell Hill Windpower Project near Casper by the end of the year.
As part of the Silver Sage project, Duke Energy entered into 20-year power purchase agreements to sell all of the electricity generated at the site to Cheyenne Light Fuel & Power (CLF&P), a utility subsidiary of Black Hills Corporation, and Colorado-based Platte River Power Authority.
The Silver Sage project will consist of 20 Suzlon wind turbines, each capable of generating 2.1 MW of electricity. The purchase of these turbines will enable Duke Energy to start construction at Silver Sage this spring and target the end of 2009 for the project's completion.
"The Silver Sage project is another sign of the momentum we're building in our renewable energy business," said Wouter van Kempen, president of Duke Energy Generation Services (DEGS), a business unit of Duke Energy that owns and develops renewable power assets. "Projects such as Silver Sage are helping Duke Energy meet the growing demand for electricity produced from clean, inexhaustible sources like wind."
"We are pleased to continue our partnership with Duke Energy," said David R. Emery, Black Hills chairman, president and CEO. "This agreement affirms our commitment to be an environmental steward and use a diversified portfolio to deliver economical energy to our customers." Black Hills buys all of the output from Duke Energy's Happy Jack project under a separate power purchase agreement.
"Our arrangement with Duke Energy on Silver Sage illustrates how we're using environmentally progressive, renewable sources to meet the energy needs of the communities we serve," said Platte River general manager Brian Moeck.
Duke Energy has more than 500 MW of wind-powered generation projects in operation and an additional 5,000 MW in development.
Terms of the Silver Sage project were not disclosed.
Duke Energy Generation Services (DEGS) develops, owns and operates electric generation for large energy consumers, municipalities, utilities and industrial facilities.
DEGS specializes in developing innovative and environmentally sound generation solutions using a variety of fuels, including wind and other renewable energy sources.
Duke Energy, one of the largest electric power companies in the United States, supplies and delivers electricity to approximately 4 million U.S. customers in its regulated jurisdictions. The company has approximately 35,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity in the Midwest and the Carolinas, and natural gas distribution services in Ohio and Kentucky. In addition, Duke Energy has more than 4,000 megawatts of electric generation in Latin America, and is a joint-venture partner in a U.S. real estate company.
