ALLETE Clean Energy, a wholly owned subsidiary of Minnesota-based ALLETE Inc., has announced it is refurbishing its 50 MW Condon Wind facility in Oregon.
The refurbishment will extend the operating life of the facility, sustain its high level of operating availability and requalify the site for federal production tax credits, says ALLETE. The project is scheduled to be completed in 2019.
The project also will position the site for recontracting after the existing power sales agreement with the Bonneville Power Administration expires in late 2022. This investment ensures the Condon facility will continue to deliver its sustainable energy supply and add value to the Condon community well into the future, according to ALLETE.
“We are pleased to advance our fleet-wide optimization strategy with the refurbishment initiative at Condon,” says Laura Schauer, chief financial officer of ALLETE Clean Energy. “The project will position the site well for future power sales, extend the project’s operating life, sustain operating performance and produce income growth.”
The investment includes equipment and system upgrades. ALLETE Clean Energy acquired the Condon facility from AES in 2014 as part of a portfolio acquisition that also included wind facilities at Storm Lake in Iowa, Lake Benton in Minnesota and Armenia Mountain in Pennsylvania. In addition to the Condon project, ALLETE Clean Energy is refurbishing 385 turbines at the Lake Benton and Storm Lake sites.
