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Electric co-ops buy power from Missouri’s first utility-scale wind farms
Praised for voluntarily becoming a leader and partner in renewable energy, Associated Electric Cooperative Inc. helped bring the first utility-scale wind farms to Missouri. Associated increased its renewable wind energy portfolio in 2011, again showing its leadership and commitment to alternative generation resources and low-cost power for members. Associated signed two long-term wind power purchase agreements, contracting for 300 megawatts from BP Wind Energy's Flat Ridge 2 farm under construction in south-central Kansas and for 150 MW from Wind Capital Group's Osage County wind farm being developed in northeast Oklahoma. When the farms are complete, Associated's wind resources will increase from 300 megawatts to 750 MW. AECI leads in Missouri wind energy AECI’s commitment to buy all the power from four wind farms in northwest Missouri for 20 years and the cooperatives’ vast transmission system made the wind farms possible. Announced in 2006, three 50-megawatt wind facilities were developed and built in northwest Missouri by Wind Capital Group and John Deere Wind Energy. The Bluegrass Ridge Wind Farm began producing energy for rural electric cooperatives in spring 2007, while Cow Branch and Conception wind farms began operating in early 2008. Construction on the Lost Creek Wind Farm began in 2009 and was completed in early 2010. Renewable wind power is part of AECI's diverse portfolio of generation and transmission resources to meet member cooperatives' growing energy needs. "Associated Electric Cooperative is committed to providing affordable, renewable energy options to our members," said Jim Jura, CEO and general manager of AECI. "We are particularly pleased that the wind energy we are purchasing is harvested in our service area and that this investment will be staying here in our own communities. Adding wind turbines to the coal, natural gas, oil, hydropower and biomass generating resources we already use will help us improve our ability to fulfill our mission of providing reliable, low-cost electricity to rural electric cooperative members."
The Bluegrass Ridge Wind Farm is located near King City, Mo., in Gentry County. Cow Branch Wind Farm is near Tarkio, Mo., in Atchison County, and the third farm is near Conception, Mo., in Nodaway County. Associated connected the fourth, and Missouri’s largest, wind farm in 2010 to its transmission system and will buy all the power produced by the 150-MW Lost Creek Wind Farm in DeKalb County, Missouri. The farm began generating power in early 2010. The four Missouri wind farms are expected to produce the amount of energy used by about 55,000 member households, when considering the nature of wind power and the varying ways members use electricity. Because wind is intermittent, Associated supplements it with fuel-based generation to ensure reliable electricity for members. |
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