Enel Green Power Brings New Wind Farm Online In United States
Enel Green Power S.p.A. , through its subsidiary Enel Green Power North America, Inc. has brought online the 74 MW Little Elk wind farm in Oklahoma in the United States. Little Elk is the second wind farm to be brought online in the state by EGP in December, following the 200 MW Goodwell wind farm.
“The entry into service of Little Elk strengthens our presence in the United States, which continues to be a significant market for Enel Green Power’s development”, said Francesco Venturini, CEO of EGP. “We are demonstrating our ability to ensure continuous growth in the US renewables market, while rapidly progressing towards our capacity expansion targets.”Little Elk, which is located in Kiowa and Washita Counties, adjacent to EGPNA’s existing 150 MW Rocky Ridge wind farm, has a total installed capacity of 74 MW and is able to generate more than 330 GWh per year, enough to meet the annual energy needs of about 27,000 U.S. households, while avoiding the emission of around 240,000 tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere each year.
The construction of Little Elk required an investment of approximately 130 million US dollars, partially funded through a capital contribution agreement with Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc. The project is supported by a 25-year power purchase agreement with People‘s Electric Cooperative of Oklahoma (PEC).The entry into service of Little Elk means that in 2015 alone EGP has brought online over 420 MW of wind capacity in Oklahoma, more than any other operator in the state. EGP now operates six wind farms in Oklahoma that make up 40% of the company’s total capacity in North America and produce enough energy to meet the annual consumption needs of over 330,000 U.S. households, while avoiding the emission of around two million tonnes of CO2 per year.
