Westar Energy has agreed to purchase the output from the 200 MW Ninnescah wind farm, located in Pratt County, Kan.
The wind farm is being developed by an affiliate of NextEra Energy Resources and is expected to begin construction later this year or in early 2016. The project is expected to be finished at the end of 2016. The wind farm is expected to bring about $300 million in capital investment, up to 200 construction jobs and several permanent jobs to nearby communities.
The power purchase agreement (PPA) will grow the utility's renewable energy commitment to nearly 1.3 GW – equivalent to the power consumption of about half the homes it serves.
‘Kansas wind provides the best economic fit to make renewable energy available and affordable for all our customers,’ says Mark Ruelle, president/CEO of Westar Energy. ‘Westar is the state's largest supporter of renewables, and we are excited to add more clean Kansas wind energy to our energy supply.’
