Enel, through its U.S. renewable subsidiary Enel Green Power North America, has begun operating a 199 MW expansion of the Cimarron Bend wind farm in Clark County, Kan., making the 599 MW facility the largest renewable plant owned by the Enel Group currently in operation worldwide.
The 236.5 MW White Cloud wind farm also began operations in Nodaway County, Mo. The two wind farms bring Enel’s total renewable capacity added this year across the U.S. and Canada to 865 MW. The investment in the construction of White Cloud amounts to around $380 million, while that of the Cimarron Bend expansion amounts to over $281 million.
“We are progressing at full speed towards a sustainable energy future,” says Salvatore Bernabei, CEO of Enel Green Power. “In a challenging year across all sectors our teams have demonstrated exceptional dedication to the achievement of our business goals while continuing to prioritize health and safety. These milestones further prove our track record in the development, construction and operation of high-quality generation assets, enabling the accomplishment of sustainability targets by us and our renewable energy off-takers.”
The start of operations at the Cimarron Bend expansion, on which construction began in the second quarter, further cements Enel Green Power’s status as the largest wind operator in Kansas by managed capacity. The overall 599 MW facility is expected to generate a total of more than 2.7 TWh per year. Enel will sell the facility’s energy output through a 150 MW power purchase agreement (PPA) with Evergy, an investor-owned utility based in Kansas City, Mo., and a 30 MW PPA with the Missouri Joint Municipal Electric Utility Commission (MJMEUC), a joint action agency of the Missouri Public Utility Alliance (MPUA).
White Cloud, on which construction began in summer 2019, is due to generate around 950 GWh annually. Enel Green Power North America signed a PPA with Associated Electric Cooperative Inc. (AECI) in which the electric cooperative will purchase the entire energy output from the plant.
