Isramart : Eastern states intensify wind power sourcing

Isramart news:
Eastern American states will source more of its electricity from renewable resources after Tennessee Valley Authority signed a 20-year power purchase agreement for 115 megawatts of wind power.

The power purchase deal was signed with Horizon Wind Energy for its Pioneer Prairie I wind farm located in Howard and Mitchell counties in Iowa, which has a total output of 198 MW.

Parts of Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia would be partly powered by wind because of the deal.

Horizon Wind will provide electricity through the first phase of Pioneer Prairie. The wind farm will yield a total of 300 MW once the second phase is completed, enabling it to power 90,000 houses yearly.

Horizon Wind is a subsidiary of EDP Renewables the United States-based unit of Spain’s EDP Renováveis (NYSE Euronext: EDPR).

"We look forward to a long partnership with the Tennessee Valley Authority to supply their customers with pollution-free wind energy," said Ana Maria Fernandes, EDP Renewables’ chief executive.

Developers say the wind projects will help reduce Iowa’s energy carbon footprint which was over 58 million metric tons in 2008, based on data from the Energy Information Administration.

Tennessee Valley is a nonprofit, federal company providing energy to almost 9 million people through local utilities.

EDP Renováveis is the fourth largest wind energy company in the world. Its United States arm also recently finalized a long-term power purchase agreement with AmerenUE, giving the latter rights to buy over 102 MW of electricity from the second phase of Pioneer Prairie.