Enel SpA, through its subsidiary Enel North America Inc., has completed a wind farm in Texas with what the company says are the tallest utility-scale wind turbines in the U.S. The Snyder Wind project in Scurry County, Texas, between Abilene and Lubbock, comprises 21 Vestas V90 3 MW wind turbines mounted on towers measuring 345 feet. Construction was completed in December 2007.
The Snyder project has such tall wind turbine towers because, according to Enel, wind conditions are best at that height. The project will be operated and maintained by Enel North America. Power will be sold into the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) market. Snyder and Fortis Energy Marketing & Trading, a division of Fortis Merchant Banking, have entered into an approximately 1.1 million MW, 10-year fixed-price hedge agreement that will provide revenue stability and accommodate wind seasonality.
In related news, GE Energy Financial Services will invest in a 101 MW Enel project in Smoky Hills, Kan. The investment in the Snyder and Smoky Hills projects marks the first transaction by affiliates of GE Energy Financial Services with Enel in wind power. Financial details were not disclosed. The Smoky Hills Kansas Wind project, in Ellsworth and Lincoln counties, 140 miles west of Topeka, will employ 56 Vestas V80 1.8 MW wind turbines. The project, developed by TradeWind Energy and purchased by Enel in 2007, is expected to be completed early this year.
Power generated by Smoky Hills will be sold through power purchase agreements with Sunflower Electric Power Corp., Kansas City Board of Public Utilities and Midwest Energy Inc.
