Enel Green Power North America has announced this week it has begun construction on the 320 MW Rattlesnake Creek wind farm, which will also provide 200 MW of renewable energy to Facebook’s new data center in Nebraska.
US renewable energy company Enel Green Power North America, part of the Enel Group, announced several big items this week, including the completion and beginning of operations for the 300 MW (megawatt) Rock Creek wind farm Atchison County, Missouri. Investment for the project amounted to $500 million and is expected to generate 1,250 GWh (gigawatt-hours) of clean energy each year — equivalent to the energy consumption needs of more than 100,000 US households and avoiding the emissions of about 900,000 tonnes of CO2 each year.
“The completion of Rock Creek nearly two months ahead of schedule is a testament to the project team’s tremendous effort and the continuing support received from the local community,” said Antonio Cammisecra, Head of Enel Green Power. “We are proud to call Missouri home to our second largest operating wind farm in the US. Through Rock Creek we continue to expand our geographical footprint and operational capacity in the US, while also delivering long-term value for the local community.”
However, the bigger news was that Enel Green Power North America had begun work on the 320 MW Rattlesnake Creek wind farm which, upon completion, will sell a 200 MW portion of the power and renewable energy credits to Facebook under a bundled, long-term Power Purchase Agreement which will supply 100% of the power needed to operate Facebook’s new data center in Papillion, Nebraska, located about 120 miles from the Rattlesnake Creek wind project.
“This project consolidates our growing presence in the US as our company enters into a new state and expands our business with new partners,” said Antonio Cammisecra. “We are thrilled to be able to support Facebook’s growing renewable energy needs in Nebraska and be a part of driving economic development in the region.”
“We know from experience that when people come together, they can do a lot of good in the world,” said Bobby Hollis, Director of Global Energy at Facebook. “We came together with the Omaha Public Power District, Tradewind Energy, and now, Enel Green Power, to ensure renewable energy solutions are accessible not just to Facebook, but to other companies as well. Today, we are one step closer to our goal of powering all of our operations with clean and renewable energy, and we are grateful to our partners for this collaboration.”
Investment into the Rattlesnake Creek wind farm amounts to approximately $430 million and upon completion it will generate approximately 1.3 TWh (terawatt-hours) annually, which will be enough energy to meet the equivalent annual consumption needs of more than 105,000 US households and avoid the emissions of around 940,000 tonnes of CO2 each year.
Source: cleantechnica.com
