Enel Green Power North America Inc. (EGPNA) has started construction of the Rattlesnake Creek wind farm, which will cover 100% of the energy needs at Facebook’s new data center in Papillion, Neb. Separately, the company has also announced the start of operations of its Rock Creek Wind Farm, located in Atchison County, Mo.
Once completed, Rattlesnake Creek will have a total installed capacity of 320 MW and will be Enel’s first wind farm in Nebraska. Located in Dixon County, the facility is owned by Rattlesnake Creek Wind Project LLC, a subsidiary of EGPNA. When fully operational, Rattlesnake Creek will be able to generate around 1.3 TWh annually, enough energy to meet the equivalent annual consumption needs of more than 105,000 U.S. households, says EGPNA.
Investment in the construction of Rattlesnake Creek amounts to approximately $430 million, financed through the Enel Group’s own resources. EGPNA acquired the project from Kansas-based Tradewind Energy, a long-term strategic development partner.
A 200 MW portion of the power and renewable energy credits (RECs) from Rattlesnake Creek will be sold to Facebook under a bundled, long-term power purchase agreement (PPA). The wind-powered data center is located about 120 miles from the site of the project.
“Today, we are one step closer to our goal of powering all of our operations with clean and renewable energy, and we are grateful to our partners for this collaboration,” says Bobby Hollis, director of global energy at Facebook.
Rock Creek
The 300 MW Rock Creek facility represents the first Enel project to begin operations in Missouri, as well as the largest operational wind farm in the state.
Investment in the construction of the project, which is owned by EGPNA subsidiary Rock Creek Wind Project LLC, amounted to approximately $500 million. The wind farm is expected to generate approximately 1,250 GWh annually – equivalent to the energy consumption needs of more than 100,000 U.S. households.
The facility’s power and RECs are being sold under two separate bundled, long-term PPAs with utilities Kansas City Power & Light and KCP&L Greater Missouri Operations Co.
“The completion of Rock Creek nearly two months ahead of schedule is a testament to the project team’s tremendous effort and the continuing support received from the local community,” says Antonio Cammisecra, head of Enel Green Power. “We are proud to call Missouri home to our second-largest operating wind farm in the U.S. Through Rock Creek, we continue to expand our geographical footprint and operational capacity in the U.S. while also delivering long-term value for the local community.”
