EDF Renewable Energy (EDF RE), EDF Energies Nouvelles’ North American subsidiary, announced today that the 154 megawatt (MW) Rock Falls Wind Project has begun commercial operation in the United States. Kimberly-Clark Corporation (NYSE: KMB) signed an agreement earlier this year with EDF RE for 120 MW of generation which marks Kimberly-Clark’s first utility scale use of renewable energy.
Rock Falls Wind Project, located in Kay and Grant Counties in northern Oklahoma, consists of 60 wind turbines and various components manufactured in the USA. The project has created more than 150 jobs since start of construction in July 2017 along with millions of dollars injected into the local economy.
“We applaud America’s corporate sector and companies like Kimberly-Clark, who through the purchase of wind energy demonstrate leadership in the drive for a low-carbon economy, ” said Ryan Pfaff, Executive Vice President for EDF Renewable Energy.Their commitment allowed Rock Falls to proceed, providing an economic boost to the Oklahoma economy, through new construction and operations jobs, expanded tax base, and recurring, long-term income for participating landowners.”
“We are proud to partner with EDF Renewable Energy on the Rock Falls project, which marks a significant step in Kimberly-Clark’s Energy and Climate strategy,” said Lisa Morden, Global Head of Sustainability, Kimberly-Clark.
Kimberly-Clark operates a number of manufacturing facilities across North America (and other parts of the world), including a tissue and towel manufacturing facility in Jenks, Oklahoma, which produces products for the Kleenex, Scott, Cottonelle and Viva brands. “As a point of comparison, the electricity purchased from the Rock Falls wind project would offset 1.5 times the greenhouse gas emissions associated with the electricity consumption at the Jenks manufacturing plant,” said Morden.
Rock Falls marks EDF RE’s second project in Oklahoma. In 2016, the Company completed the Great Western Wind Project which supplies Google with its output of electricity.
EDF RE is the #1 developer among corporate buyers with 930 MWs contracted, which demonstrates the trust that environmentally-conscious companies place in EDF RE to deliver value. Kimberly-Clark joins the Company’s growing North America portfolio of corporate purchasers including Google, Microsoft, Salesforce, Walmart and Yahoo.
EDF Renewable Services, the leading provider of renewable operations and maintenance services in North America, will provide balance-of-plant operations and maintenance for the facility.
EDF Renewable Energy is one of the largest renewable energy developers in North America with 9 GW of wind, solar, storage, biomass, and biogas projects developed throughout the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.
EDF Renewable Energy is a leading US independent power producer with over 30 years of expertise in the renewable industry, covering all range of services from project origination, development, sales and marketing, to long-term asset management. EDF Renewable Energy specializes in wind and solar photovoltaic with presence in other segments of the renewable energy market: distributed electricity, storage, biogas, and biomass. EDF Renewable Energy’s North American portfolio consists of 9 gigawatts of developed projects with 4.4 gigawatts of installed capacity throughout the US, Canada, and Mexico. The operations and maintenance subsidiary, EDF Renewable Services, operates 10 gigawatts throughout North America. EDF Renewable Energy is a subsidiary of EDF Energies Nouvelles.
Kimberly-Clark (NYSE: KMB) and its well-known global brands are an indispensable part of life for people in more than 175 countries. Every day, nearly a quarter of the world’s population trust Kimberly-Clark’s brands and the solutions they provide to enhance their health, hygiene, and well-being. With brands such as Kleenex, Scott, Huggies, Pull-Ups, Kotex and Depend, Kimberly-Clark holds No. 1 or No. 2 share positions in 80 countries.
EDF Energies Nouvelles is a market leader in renewable energy electricity, with a portfolio of more than 10 GW gross installed capacity focused for the most part on wind (onshore and offshore) and solar photovoltaic energy. Mostly operating in Europe and North America, EDF Energies Nouvelles continues its development by taking strong positions in promising emerging areas such as Brazil, China, India, or South Africa, and North Africa and Gulf Cooperation Council regions. The Company is also present in other segments of the renewable energy market: marine energy, distributed energies and energy storage. EDF Energies Nouvelles manages renewable energy projects’ development and construction as well as operation and maintenance for its own account and for third parties. EDF Energies Nouvelles is a subsidiary of the EDF Group dedicated to renewable energy.
