NJR Clean Energy Ventures (NJRCEV), the unregulated distributed power subsidiary of New Jersey Resources (NJR), has announced the completion of the Alexander Wind Farm, located in Rush County, Kan.
Situated approximately 120 miles northwest of Wichita, the $83 million project consists of 21 Siemens turbines with a total capacity of 48.3 MW – enough clean energy to power over 17,000 homes annually.
NJRCEV says the facility is its third – and largest – onshore wind project. Laurence M. Downes, chairman and CEO of NJR, says that with the completion of this project, onshore wind accounts for 40% of the company's distributed power capacity. In October 2014, NJRCEV bought the Alexander Wind Farm from Brooklyn, N.Y.-based OwnEnergy, which was acquired earlier this year by EDF Renewable Energy.
The energy produced at the Alexander Wind Farm, as well as the renewable attributes, will be sold under two long-term agreements.
The Kansas City Board of Public Utilities (KCBPU) has signed a 20-year power purchase agreement for approximately 50% of the energy. The KCBPU currently serves approximately 65,000 electric and 59,000 water customers in Wyandotte County.
The remaining energy will be purchased through a 15-year agreement by Yahoo! Inc., which is headquartered in Sunnyvale, Calif. Yahoo will use the wind power to offset much of its energy usage in the Great Plains region.
NJRCEV expects the wind farm to qualify for federal production tax credits, which will be retained by NJR.
NJRCEV invests in, owns and operates distributed power projects that generate clean energy and provide low-carbon energy solutions. To date, NJRCEV has focused on commercial and residential solar project development in New Jersey and onshore wind projects in the Midwest.
