NextEra Energy through its subsidiary NextEra Energy Resources has started construction on the $200m Sholes Wind Energy Center, a 160MW wind farm located in the US state of Nebraska.
Image: The Sholes Wind Energy Center will feature 71 turbines to be supplied by GE. Photo: courtesy of 2nix/Freedigitalphotos.net.
The Sholes Wind Energy Center, which will comprise 71 wind turbines to be delivered by GE, will supply its power to customers of Omaha Power Public District (OPPD) under a 20-year power purchase agreement.
Omaha Public Power District president and CEO Timothy J. Burke said: “The inclusion of the Sholes wind farm in OPPD’s generation portfolio not only helps us reach our renewables commitments, but will also have a positive economic impact on the surrounding area.
“We look forward to working with NextEra Energy Resources to provide environmentally sensitive electricity to our public power customer-owners.”
The new wind farm, located in Wayne County will be built, owned and operated by an affiliate of NextEra Energy Resources. It is anticipated to begin operations in December 2018.
NextEra Energy Resources president and CEO Armando Pimentel said: “We are pleased to partner with OPPD to bring low-cost, renewable energy to their customers, and for the tremendous support we have received from the community of Wayne and Stanton Counties, many of whom stand to benefit from the project for years to come.”
According to NextEra Energy, the Sholes Wind Energy Center will give a significant economic boost for Wayne and Stanton Counties. The new wind farm in Nebraska is expected to create nearly 200 jobs during the construction stage, and up to 10 full-time jobs to support its operations.
The wind project is expected to deliver over $30m in the form of property taxes to Wayne and Stanton Counties during its first 30 years of operation, and about $40m in payments to local landowners.
Recently, NextEra Energy signed a deal of around $582.3m to sell a portfolio of wind and solar generation assets, with a combined capacity of around 396MW, to Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) for a sum of about $582.3m.