Wind Works Power Corp. has executed a power purchase agreement (PPA) with Montana-Dakota Utilities Co. (MDU) for the first 105 MW of its 150 MW Thunder Spirit wind project, located in Hettinger, N.D.
The Thunder Spirit project was proposed to MDU's March 25 request for proposals for capacity and energy supply, and under the 25-year agreement, the wind farm will deliver energy to MDU's electric grid at its 230 kV Hettinger Substation.
The project was initiated in 2006 by Global Winds Harvest. In 2011, Wind Works acquired a 75% equity interest in the project, and the company recently exercised its option to acquire the remaining 25%. In February 2012, an interconnection agreement was signed for 150 MW with the Midcontinent Independent System Operator's power market. On Sept. 9, the project received its siting permit from Adams County, and one month later, the North Dakota Public Services Commission issued a certificate of site compatibility, thereby completing the environmental siting permits required.
"With permitting, interconnection and power contracting activities completed, we are now able to work to secure financing, enter into turbine equipment and construction services agreements, and commence construction," comments Ingo Stuckmann, Wind Works' president and CEO.
Wind Works says it anticipates initiating construction activities prior to the close of 2013. The project will continue civil construction activities when on-site ground conditions permit in Spring 2014, with the erection and commissioning of the wind turbine generators scheduled for mid-2015. The project is expected to enter commercial operation by the fourth quarter of 2015.
