Tenaska, an independent power producer based out of Omaha, Neb., has secured a 236 MW power purchase agreement (PPA) with Associated Electric Cooperative Inc. for a wind farm in northwest Missouri.
The Tenaska Clear Creek Energy Center, currently in advanced development, is located near Maryville in Nodaway County. Under the terms of the 25-year PPA – announced Monday at an event at Northwest Missouri State University – the project is anticipated to be operational in 2020.
To date, Tenaska says it has developed approximately 10 GW of natural gas and renewable energy projects. The company has mid- to advanced-stage wind development projects in the Midwest and is considering opportunities across the U.S. The company formed Tenaska Clear Creek Wind LLC to build, own and operate the Tenaska Clear Creek Energy Center.
Associated Electric, an electric generation and transmission cooperative based in Springfield, Mo., provides wholesale power to six regional cooperatives, including NW Electric Power Cooperative Inc. of Cameron, Mo., and 51 local cooperative systems in Missouri, southeast Iowa and northeast Oklahoma that serve 910,000 members. Associated’s resource mix includes coal, natural gas, wind and hydropower.
“This agreement secures long-term, fixed and competitively priced renewable energy for our members, serving as a buffer against projected increases in fuel prices,” comments David J. Tudor, Associated’s CEO and general manager. “With our experience managing significant amounts of wind power on our system, Clear Creek is a good fit for our power-supply portfolio.”
The Tenaska Clear Creek project, which will use Associated’s transmission interconnections, will be made up of 100 to 120 wind turbines able to produce 2 MW-3 MW each. Vestas is currently anticipated to supply the turbines and provide maintenance for the project. Construction is expected to begin in 2019.
Tenaska Clear Creek has an estimated construction cost of $200 million-$300 million. The project will create more than 200 jobs at peak construction and up to 15 full-time jobs when operational, in addition to providing opportunities for local businesses to provide goods and services for the project, the developer notes.
The project is also anticipated to result in increased tax revenue of more than $1.2 million annually to local units of government, as well as diversify land use and provide stable income – estimated at more than $1.2 million annually – to landowners through lease payments.
