The Skookumchuck wind farm is Southern Power’s 12th wind project in the US and is its first in the state of Washington
Image: Southern Power’s newest wind farm will be powered by Vestas. Photo: Courtesy of Southern Company.
Southern Company’s subsidiary Southern Power has acquired the 136MW Skookumchuck wind facility from Renewable Energy Systems (RES) for an undisclosed amount.
Located in Lewis and Thurston Counties, Washington, the Skookumchuck wind facility is Southern Power’s 12th wind project and is it’s first in the state. The acquisition contributes to the firm’s growing renewable fleet of projects from California to Maine.
The Skookumchuck wind facility was developed by RES and is expected to be powered by 38 wind turbines manufactured by Danish wind turbine-maker Vestas.
The wind farm’s construction is underway and it is expected to achieve commercial operations in the first quarter of next year.
Power from the wind farm will be sold to Puget Sound Energy
Once operational, the electricity and the associated renewable energy credits generated from the wind farm will be sold under a 20-year power purchase agreement to Puget Sound Energy. Puget Sound Energy will supply the electricity to its Green Direct product customers.
As Southern Power is now the majority owner of the wind facility, it has also agreed to sell a minority stake in the facility to TransAlta after achieving commercial operations.
Southern Power president Bill Grantham said: “This project is a great addition to our renewable portfolio. We continue to strive to develop clean, safe, reliable and affordable wholesale energy resources for the benefit of our customers.”
With the Skookumchuck acquisition, Southern Power’s portfolio now includes more than 1.96GW of wind generation. Its wind facilities are the part of 3.19GW renewable fleet which includes 40 solar and wind facilities that are either in operation or under construction.
The company stated that the deal aligns with its business strategy of strengthening its wholesale business by acquiring and developing generating assets that are covered by long-term contracts with counterparties with strong credit support.
In July, Southern Power partnered with esVolta, a developer of lithium-ion battery storage projects to develop four utility-scale projects in California, totaling more than 86MW and 345WMh.