Dairyland Power Cooperative will begin purchasing 80MW of renewable energy from the Barton Wind Farm in Kensett, Iowa, US.
Dairyland has reached a power purchase agreement with Avangrid Renewables (Portland, Ore.) which owns and operates the Barton Wind Farm. It is located in north-central Iowa and has been in service since 2009. The Barton Wind Farm has a capacity of 160 MW of wind energy, of which Dairyland will purchase 80 MW—enough renewable energy to power more than 19,000 homes.
“Dairyland’s Vision is to exceed expectations as a safe, sustainable, premier power cooperative. Resource diversification is a key component of that commitment to our cooperative membership. Growth in wind and solar supports Dairyland’s strategic direction to diversify, and we are very pleased to expand our renewable energy portfolio with the Barton Wind Farm,” said John Carr, Dairyland Vice President, Strategic Planning.
This agreement is a result of Dairyland’s participation in National Renewable Cooperative Organization (NRCO). Dairyland is a founding member of NRCO, an organization of cooperatives seeking to promote the development of renewable energy resources. “The strategic alliance with NRCO brings opportunities to all cooperative members through joint support of renewable energy projects,” said Carr.
This is Dairyland’s second major wind energy investment in recent months. In 2016, Dairyland announced a power purchase agreement for the 98 MW Quilt Block Wind Farm. Dairyland will purchase the entire output of the Quilt Block Wind Farm from EDP Renewables. Quilt Block is under construction near Platteville in southwest Wisconsin, and is expected to come online in late 2017.