Babcock & Brown, a wind energy developer and operator, has a completed the financing of its Wessington Springs Wind Project, located near the town of Wessington Springs, S.D. Construction has begun on the wind farm, which is expected to reach commercial operation by the end of the year.
The Wessington Springs Wind Project, with 34 GE 1.5 MW wind turbines, will have a total production capacity of 51 MW. The power produced at the wind farm, which will connect to the Western Area Power Administration transmission system, will be purchased by Heartland Consumers Power District through a long-term power purchase agreement. Construction work on the project is being done by Wanzek Construction, based in Fargo, N.D.
‘The start of construction at Wessington Springs Wind Project marks a major milestone in a development process that started from scratch three years ago,’ says John Calaway, chief development officer for Babcock & Brown's North American wind energy group. ‘We look forward to harnessing the wind of South Dakota to produce clean and renewable energy when Wessington Springs begins operating later this year.’
SOURCE: Babcock & Brown
