Minnesota Windfarm Begins Operation

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--The 78-megawatt (MW) Black Oak Windfarm, which is located in Stearns County, Minnesota, began commercial operation this month following its completion by Sempra U.S. Gas & Power (San Diego, California).

The windfarm, originally developed by Geronimo Energy (Minneapolis, Minnesota), moved into full construction in the spring of 2016 after being acquired by Sempra U.S. Gas & Power, a division of Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE) (San Diego). The windfarm uses 39 Vestas V110 wind turbines to generate enough electricity to power about 32,000 homes and will sell the energy produced under a 20-year power purchase agreement with the Minnesota Municipal Power Agency (Minneapolis).

Construction of the windfarm was completed by Amec Foster Wheeler plc (NYSE:AMFW) (London, England), and the project qualifies for the U.S. renewable energy production tax credit. The project created about 250 jobs at the peak of construction and took 11 months to be constructed, commissioned and reach commercial operations.

The project had a total investment value of $156 million and has created approximately seven full-time positions. Sempra U.S. Gas & Power has signed a long-term service agreement with Vestas, the turbine manufacturer, for operations and maintenance of the windfarm.

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