ACCIONA Launches 180 MW Tatanka Wind Farm

FORBES, N.D., Aug. 11 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- ACCIONA Energy, today announced the launch of its 180 MW Tatanka Wind Farm, located inDickey County andMcIntosh County, North Dakota, andMcPherson County, South Dakota. This significant renewable energy project is the largest wind farm in North andSouth Dakota and will generate enough clean energy to power more than 60,000 U.S. homes. The plant went online July 25, 2008.

Tatanka Wind Farm is the first installation of ACCIONA's 1.5 MW turbines inthe United States. Construction of the $381 million project began in April 2007 and financing for the project was achieved through equity partnerships with GE Energy Financial Services and Wachovia Investment Holdings LLC.

"ACCIONA's Tatanka Wind Farm is representative of yet another step in harnessing the abundant wind energy reserves available in America's rural Midwest. This land and its pioneering population, long known for providing crops and livestock to feed a country, now meet an urgent and monumental American need - energy independence. We're so proud and grateful to partner with the people of North andSouth Dakota on this project," said Peter Duprey, CEO, ACCIONA Energy North America. "Harnessing a plentiful domestic energy resource like wind to generate electricity provides this country with sustainable and clean energy choices beyond costly natural gas and carbon-emitting coal. The utilization of ACCIONA's proven wind turbine technology at the Tatanka Wind Farm is an important milestone in the company's commitment to reducing the world's CO2 emissions by 220 million tons in the next 23 years."

The Tatanka Wind Farm is comprised of 120 wind turbines with 59 turbines located inSouth Dakota and 61 turbines inNorth Dakota. The electricity generated at the Tatanka Wind Farm is sold into the Midwest Independent Transmission System Operator (MISO), which delivers electric power to a very large region of the upper mid-westernUnited States andCanada.

The Tatanka Wind Farm created 21 new permanent jobs in North andSouth Dakota and more than 250 people were employed during construction. Additionally, the Tatanka Wind Farm will provide increased revenues for nearby North andSouth Dakota communities through investments in local infrastructure, lease arrangements with local landowners, and tax revenues paid toDickey County, North Dakota andMcPherson County, South Dakota.

The Tatanka facility is spread across 14,080 rural acres. With the exception of the small footprint made by the 120 turbines, at about 1 acre each, land use is dominated by cattle grazing and crop cultivation, which coexist with the wind energy production. Wind conditions in the Tatanka region are optimal for wind energy generation, however, the size of the Tatanka Wind Farm is limited by regional transmission capacity. ACCIONA is hopeful that the current national energy policy debates will result in improved transmission capabilities acrossthe United States, allowing Tatanka's full wind energy potential to be realized with further expansion.

About ACCIONA Energy

ACCIONA Energy is a world leader in renewable energies with a major presence in eight technologies. In wind power it has installed 5,403 MW, owned by the company and other companies, in 195 wind parks in 13 countries, and it produces wind turbines using proprietary technology. As of June 30, 2008, the company had installed 65 MW of solar thermal plants, 97 MW of photovoltaic power and 30 MW of thermal energy. It also owns and operates three biomass plants (33 MW) and 19 small hydro power stations (59 MW). In biofuels, it produces biodiesel from vegetable oils and bioethanol from wine-surplus alcohol.

ACCIONA Energy belongs to the ACCIONA group, a Spanish corporation with activities in more than 30 countries on five continents. It works in the fields of infrastructure, renewable energy, hydro resources, urban and environmental services, logistics and transport, housing development and hospital management, among others. ACCIONA has a workforce of over 40,000 employees and is quoted on the Spanish IBEX-35 (ANA.MC) selective index. http://www.acciona-energy.com

SOURCE ACCIONA

Copyright © 2008, PRNewswire
Copyright © 2008, NewsBlaze, Daily News

Tags: ,OIL,AGR,POL,ACCIONA-wind-farm

   _   _

           

Is your favorite bookmark site missing? Ask for it.