The approvals are for a 201-megawatt project in southwestern Minnesota’s Nobles County, called the Nobles Wind Project, and a 150-megawatt project in Dickey and McIntosh counties in southeastern North Dakota, called the Merricourt Wind Project.
The North Dakota Public Service Commission recently determined that both projects are prudent additions to Xcel Energy’s generation system, and it also granted a certificate authorizing the Merricourt project. The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission in June allowed Xcel Energy to include both projects in its plan to meet the state’s Renewable Energy Standard.
"We appreciate regulators’ timely action on these proposals," said Judy Poferl, president and CEO of Northern States Power Co.-Minnesota, an Xcel Energy company with operations in Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota. "Owning wind farms will help us provide renewable energy at a reasonable cost to our customers while demonstrating our commitment to the communities we serve. The Merricourt project also marks our first major wind undertaking in North Dakota."
The next steps are for enXco, an EDF Energies Nouvelles Company, which is developing the projects, to obtain site permits from the Minnesota commission for the Nobles project and the North Dakota commission and affected counties for the Merricourt project. The projects are on schedule to be operational by the end of 2010 (Nobles) and 2011 (Merricourt). Together, they will generate enough electricity to power approximately 110,000 homes and will increase Xcel Energy’s wind power resources by more than 10 percent companywide.
Once developed, project ownership will be transferred to NSP-Minnesota.
"enXco is pleased to be developing these new projects following the successful completion of the 100 megawatt Grand Meadow project in 2009 for Xcel Energy," said Steve Peluso, vice president of development in the Midwest region for enXco.
enXco, an EDF Energies Nouvelles Company (PARIS: EEN), develops, constructs, operates and manages renewable energy projects throughout the United States. For more than two decades, enXco has been a leader in wind energy focusing on large-scale wind projects. Today, enXco’s portfolio includes solar and biomass technologies in an effort to help drive the nation’s transition to a sustainable energy economy. enXco is a significant owner and developer of wind-energy installations in the United States and is the largest third-party operations and maintenance provider for wind farms in North America.
Xcel Energy is the nation’s No. 1 wind power provider. Xcel are committed to reducing the impact of their business on the environment. It is a promise to voluntarily use the earth’s resources wisely, responsibly manage the technologies we use today, help develop and deploy cleaner energy technologies for tomorrow and promote and encourage conservation.
One of the cornerstones of this commitment is serving our customers’ needs with renewable wind power. Throughout much of our service territory, we find some of the finest wind regimes in the country. As a result, at the end of 2008, we had almost 3000 megawatts of wind energy capacity in service system-wide.
We expect to more than double our wind resources by 2020. We also are the leader in offering our customers choice in buying renewable energy. Through our Windsource® program, customers can specify that part or all of their electricity be generated by the wind. If you are an Xcel Energy electricity customer in Colorado, New Mexico or Minnesota, you can purchase Windsource® wind power for your home or business.
Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota
We have a total of 1300 megawatts of wind energy capacity in Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota as of year-end 2008. Most of this is located in southwestern Minnesota. In 2008, we added another 180 megawatts including our first owned wind project in Minnesota, the Grand Meadow Wind Farm. The North Dakota wind power is from a 12 megawatt project located near Minot. In 2007, we added approximately 50 megawatts of wind capacity in South Dakota in the MinnDakota project.
Grand Meadow Wind Farm
Location: Southern Minnesota, in Mower County near Dexter, Minn. Plant Description: 67 wind turbines. Power Production Capability: Up to 100 megawatts (MW). About The Facility: Grand Meadow is the first wind farm in Minnesota owned by Xcel Energy. The company purchases most of the wind-powered generation on its system in the Upper Midwest. Ownership of the wind farm helps diversify the company’s generation portfolio and reduces price risk volatility that can occur with dependence on fossil fuels – while producing energy that is emissions-free.
Grand Meadow taps into some of the best wind resources in the nation. The 100 megawatts of wind energy from Grand Meadow adds to the company’s burgeoning wind generation portfolio and solidifies Xcel Energy’s stature as the nation’s No. 1 wind power provider. Xcel Energy has more than 1,200 MW of wind generation in the Upper Midwest and more than 3,000 MW systemwide.
The company plans to have approximately 4,000 MW in place in the region by 2020 and 7,000 MW company wide. The Grand Meadow wind farm, developed for Xcel Energy by enXco Development Corp., began commercial operation in December 2008. The project spans a stretch of farm fields six miles long and four miles wide, covering roughly 10,000 acres. The wind turbines are equipped with variable pitch blades enabling power output to be controlled if desired. The wind turbines also were built with cold-weather tolerant equipment to enable operation in below-zero temperatures.
Colorado and Wyoming
We’re proud to have built Colorado’s first commercial wind farm, our 30-megawatt Ponnequin Wind Farm in northern Colorado. We have purchased the entire energy output of the state’s second wind farm, Ridgecrest near Peetz as well as the 162 megawatt Colorado Green wind farm near Lamar and the 60 megawatt Spring Canyob wind farm near Peetz. In 2007, we added 775 megawatts of new wind capacity in four projects, Peetz Table, Logan Wind, Twin Buttes and Cedar Creek. By year-end 2007, we have a total of 1085 megawatts of wind capacity- 1060 from Colorado and 25 from Wyoming.
Ponnequin Wind Farm
Location: Weld County in Northern Colorado, just south of the Wyoming border and east of Interstate 25. Plant Description: 44 wind turbines. Power Production Capabilities: Up to 30 megawatts (MW). About the facility: The Ponnequin Wind Farm is Colorado’s first commercial wind farm and was built in several phases starting in 1998. It was named after an old camp located south of the site. Ownership of the wind farm helps diversify the company’s generation portfolio and reduces price risk volatility that can occur with dependence on fossil fuels – while producing energy that is emissions-free.
Ponnequin taps into some of the best wind resources in the nation. The farm’s 30 megawatts of wind energy contribute to Xcel Energy’s burgeoning wind generation portfolio and solidifies our stature as the nation’s No. 1 wind power provider. We have more than 1,000 MW of wind generation in the Colorado region and almost 3,000 MW system wide. We plan to have approximately 7,400 MW in place, company wide, by 2020. Xcel Energy owns Ponnequin Wind Farm, and owns and operates 37 of the 44 turbines. Ponnequin Acquisitions owns and operates the remaining seven turbines. The power produced at Ponnequin is sold through Xcel Energy’s Windsource® program.
Phase One: The first 29 turbines installed at Ponnequin generate up to 750 kilowatts of electricity each. They were manufactured by NEG Micon USA, Inc. It takes a wind speed of 7 miles per hour (mph) to operate the turbines, so they spin most of the time. When the wind blows faster than 56 mph the turbines stop spinning to protect them from damage.
The facility expanded with the installation of 15 additional turbines that became operational in the summer of 2001. Vestas American
Wind Technology, a subsidiary of Vestas Wind Systems A/S. manufactured these turbines. The Vestas turbines are each capable of generating up to 660 kilowatts of electricity. They begin generating electricity with wind speeds of 9 mph, achieve maximum output at 33 mph and stop spinning at 56 mph to protect them from damage.
Current Wind Projects under development:
Minnesota – Nobles Wind Project
On December 4, 2008, Xcel Energy filed with the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission a Petition for approval to invest in Two Wind Power Projects: 201 MW Nobles Wind Project in southwestern Minnesota and a 150 MW Merricourt Wind Project in McIntosh and Dickey Counties in North Dakota.
Xcel Energy has partnered with enXco Development Corporation to site, develop and construct the facilities and will transfer ownership of the projects in a progressive manner. The Nobles Wind Project is expected to consist of 134, GE Wind Energy 1.5 MW sle wind turbines and is expected to be in service by the end of 2010. The Merricourt Wind Project is expected to consist of 100, GE Wind Energy 1.5 MW sle wind turbines and is expected to be in service by the end of 2011.
The additional wind generation is necessary to comply with the Commission’s Order in Xcel Energy’s 2007 Resource Plan and to comply with the Renewable Energy Standard recently enacted by the Minnesota Legislature, which requires Xcel Energy to supply 30 percent of its Minnesota retail sales from renewable resources by 2020.
North Dakota – Merricourt Wind Project
On December 3, 2008, Xcel Energy filed with the North Dakota Public Service Commission an Application for a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity and Advanced Determination of Prudence (“ADP”) to construct, own, and operate a 150 MW wind project (called Merricourt) in McIntosh and Dickey Counties in North Dakota. Simultaneously, Xcel Energy filed an Application for an Advanced Determination of prudence (“ADP”) for the 201 MW Nobles Wind Project located in southwestern Minnesota.
Xcel Energy has partnered with enXco Development Corporation to site, develop and construct the facilities and will transfer ownership of the projects to Xcel in a progressive manner. The Merricourt Wind Project is expected to consist of 100, GE Wind Energy 1.5 MW sle wind turbines and is expected to be in service by the end of 2011. The Nobles Wind Project is expected to consist of 134, GE Wind Energy 1.5 MW sle wind turbines and is expected to be in service by the end of 2010.
The additional wind generation is necessary to comply with the Commission’s Order in Xcel Energy’s 2007 Resource Plan and to comply with the Renewable Energy Standard recently enacted by the Minnesota Legislature, which requires Xcel Energy to supply 30 percent of its Minnesota retail sales from renewable resources by 2020.
Texas and New Mexico
We have a total of 576 megawatts of wind energy capacity in Texas and New Mexico as of year-end 2007. In 2007, we added 161 megawatts of wind capacity from the Wildorado Wind Ranch in Oldham and Potter counties for a total of 374 megawatts of wind energy capacity in Texas. We offer customers in New Mexico wind power through New Mexico’s first voluntary wind energy program. At year-end 2007, we received 202 megawatts of wind energy capacity from Caprock Wind Ranch in Quay County, Llano Estacado and the San Juan Mesa facility near Elida, New Mexico.
Wind Power Rankings
For the fourth consecutive year the American Wind Energy Association ranked Xcel Energy the nation’s No. 1 wind power provider among investor-owned utilities. The ranking is included in the American Wind Energy Association Annual Wind Industry Report for 2008. Of the nation’s more than 25,300 megawatts of wind energy, Xcel Energy owns or purchases 3,000 megawatts of capacity online. Colorado was ranked sixth with 1,068 megawatts. Minnesota ranks first in the country with more than 7 percent of the state’s power coming from wind energy.
Wind Forecasts
The National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) has partnered with Xcel Energy to provide detailed wind forecasts to better integrate electricity generated from wind farms into the power grid. One of the major obstacles that has prevented more widespread use of wind energy is the difficulty in predicting when and how strongly the wind will blow. Through the use of better forecasting technology, wind-generated power will be more reliable and predictable. Accurate wind forecasting results in savings by getting more energy from existing wind farms and spending less money on back-up generators or on the spot market.
www.xcelenergy.com/Company/Environment/Renewable%20Energy/Pages/Wind_Power.aspx
www.enxco.com/services_overview.php
www.xcelenergy.com/SiteCollectionDocuments/Merricourt_App_%20ADP_Filling_Public.pdf
www.awea.org/AWEA_Annual_Rankings_Report.pdf
www.xcelenergy.com/Company/Newsroom/Pages/News_Releases.aspx
