EDF Renewable Energy’s (EDF RE) 154 MW Rock Falls Wind Project has begun commercial operations in northern Oklahoma.
Kimberly-Clark Corp., whose brands include Kleenex, Scott, Huggies and Pull-Ups, signed an agreement earlier this year with EDF RE for 120 MW of generation, marking Kimberly-Clark’s first utility-scale use of renewable energy, according to EDF RE.
The Rock Falls Wind Project, located in Kay and Grant counties, has created more than 150 jobs since the start of construction in July, along with millions of dollars injected into the local economy, the developer says. EDF Renewable Services will provide balance-of-plant operations and maintenance for the facility.
“We applaud America’s corporate sector and companies like Kimberly-Clark, who through the purchase of wind energy demonstrate leadership in the drive for a low-carbon economy,” says Ryan Pfaff, executive vice president of EDF RE.
Kimberly-Clark operates a number of manufacturing facilities across North America and other parts of the world, including a tissue and towel manufacturing facility in Jenks, Okla., which produces products for the Kleenex, Scott, Cottonelle and Viva brands.
“As a point of comparison, the electricity purchased from the Rock Falls wind project would offset 1.5 times the greenhouse-gas emissions associated with the electricity consumption at the Jenks, Okla., manufacturing plant,” says Lisa Morden, global head of sustainability at Kimberly-Clark.
Rock Falls marks EDF RE’s second project in Oklahoma. In 2016, the company completed the Great Western Wind Project, which supplies Google with its output of electricity.
