Southwest Leads U.S. in Windfarm Project Kickoffs in First-Quarter 2016

Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--U.S. wind power has passed the 70-gigawatt (GW) threshold, the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) announced last week. Bolstered by Congress' extension of renewable tax credits, more wind power is on the way. Industrial Info is tracking more than $4 billion in active and confirmed U.S. windfarm projects that are expected to kick off in first-quarter 2016. Nearly half that amount is tied to projects in the Southwest market region.

"There's now enough wind power installed to meet the equivalent total electricity demand in Oklahoma, Nebraska, Kansas, Colorado and Wyoming," said AWEA Chief Executive Officer Tom Kiernan in a press statement. He added wind power hit the 60-GW mark in 2012, when developers moved to complete projects ahead of the expiration of the federal Production Tax Credit (PTC). Wind projects plummeted in 2013, but they picked up again as a result of short-term extensions of the PTC. The new multi-year extension of the tax credit will lead to a more predictable business climate for wind power developers, he said. For related information, see December 21, 2015, article - Renewable, Alternative Energy Industries Cheer Extensions of Tax Credits.

Roughly half of the first-quarter 2016 total investment value is tied to projects that are in the planning phases, where plenty of factors still could increase, decrease or totally eliminate the expected spending. The remaining amount is connected to projects that are in the engineering phases.

By market region, the Southwest is the dominant force, with nearly $2 billion in planned first-quarter project kickoffs. The region includes Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Arkansas. Brightman Energy's (Austin, Texas) 230-megawatt (MW) project in Bovina, Texas has an estimated price tag of $460 million. Completion is currently set for mid-2017. The windfarm could eventually be expanded to a 1,200-MW facility. Harvest Energy Services (Boulder Colorado) and Mortenson Construction (Minneapolis, Minnesota) are providing preliminary engineering. For more information on the project, see Industrial Info's project report.

The Midwest region--including Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska and the Dakotas--places second, with $1.61 billion in planned kickoffs. This includes Denali Energy's (Baxter, Minnesota) $1 billion Hartland Phase I windfarm in Minot, North Dakota. The 500-MW project, currently still in a planning phase, could see completion in fourth-quarter 2018. For more information on the project, see Industrial Info's project report.

Other high-value projects set to kick off in the first quarter are:

• $322 million: Greenlight Energy Resources Incorporated's 161-MW Nueces Windfarm in Chapman Ranch, Texas
  For more information on the project, see Industrial Info's project report.
• $303 million: Sir Robert McAlpine Ltd's 150-MW Deerfield Wind Energy Project in Kinde, Michigan
  For more information on the project, see Industrial Info's project report.
• $300 million: Greenlight Energy Resources Incorporated's 130-MW Patriot Windfarm in Petronila, Texas
  For more information on the project, see Industrial Info's project report.
• $300 million: Greenlight Energy Resources Incorporated's 200-MW Brooklyn Ranch Windfarm Project, in Santa Rosa, New Mexico
  For more information on the project, see Industrial Info's project report.
• $300 million: NextEra Energy Incorporated's 150-MW Brady Wind Energy Park in Dickinson, North Dakota
  For more information on the project, see Industrial Info's project report.
• $280 million: Exelon Corporation's 150-MW Swisher Wind, Phase I, Energy Project in Tulia, Texas
  For more information on the project, see Industrial Info's project report.
• $250 million: Electricite de France SA's 150-MW Salt Fork Windfarm in Clarendon, Texas
  For more information on the project, see Industrial Info's project report.
• $216 million: Enel SpA's 108-MW Drift Sand Wind Project in Chickasha, Oklahoma
  For more information on the project, see Industrial Info's project report.

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