Italian energy company Enel’s subsidiary Enel Green Power North America (EGPNA) has started construction of the 320MW Rattlesnake Creek wind farm in the US.
The wind farm is located in the state of Nebraska and is the first wind farm of Enel in the state.
Out of the total 320MW of the clean energy generated at the plant, 200MW will be sold to Facebook to power its new data centre under a long-term power purchase agreement. This data centre is located in Papillion, about 120 miles from the wind farm, in the state.
Enel Green Power head Antonio Cammisecra said: “This project consolidates our growing presence in the US as our company enters into a new state and expands our business with new partners.
“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.”
After the commencement of full operations, the Rattlesnake Creek wind farm is expected to generate about 1.3TWh, which is enough to power more than 105,000 US households, while offsetting about 940,000 tonnes of CO2 annually.
For the wind farm’s construction, Enel will spend $430m as part of its investment outlined in the group's current strategic plan.
Facebook global energy director Bobby Hollis said: "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."
Apart from this, Enel has also started operations at another 300MW wind farm in the country. The Rock Creek wind farm is located in the state of Missouri.
For the wind farm, the company has invested $500m. The wind farm is expected to generate about 1.2TWh of clean energy annually, while avoiding 900,000 tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere.
Image: Enel’s wind farm is more than enough to supply 100% of Facebook Nebraska data centre’s power needs. Photo: Courtesy of andrew sim/FreeImages.com.