St. Louis-based Ameren, a subsidiary of AmerenUE, has announced an agreement to purchase 100 MW of energy from Horizon Wind Energy's Rail Splitter Wind Farm located near Delavan, Ill. The power would tie into AmerenUE's transmission system, fulfilling AmerenUE's commitment to add 100 MW of renewable capacity to serve its Missouri customers by 2010.
‘We will be looking for additional opportunities as we increase the amount of renewable resources in our generating portfolio,’ says Tom Voss, president and CEO of AmerenUE. ‘This is a significant first step toward further diversifying our fuel mix and demonstrating our commitment to environmental stewardship.’
AmerenUE intends to sign a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA) for the wind farm's output. The PPA has not yet been signed, and terms are still subject to negotiation. Once the agreement is signed construction is expected to begin in spring 2008 and be completed by the end of 2008. Sixty-seven turbines will be located on the site, with a generation capacity of 1.5 MW each.
