The 252-MW Cedar Point Wind Project is one of the largest wind farms completed in the United States in 2011. Although it’s a huge project, Colorado-based developer and EPC construction contractor Renewable Energy Systems Americas Inc. (RES Americas) says construction went fairly smoothly and the community was supportive from the get-go.

The overall cost of the Cedar Point Wind Project was about $500 million. The wind farm used a Treasury Grant Program. -Photo RES Americas

Cedar Point encompasses about 20,000 acres of private property across Lincoln, Elbert, and Arapahoe counties about 80 miles east of Denver. The land is leased by wind project owner Enbridge Inc. “The site was selected for several critical reasons,” says Shalini Ramanathan, VP of development for RES Americas. “There’s a strong and consistent wind, available transmission, and the opportunity to access an interconnection point.” The location’s proximity to a Denver load center was also convenient, as was space for hosting 139 turbines.

Wind farm construction began in August of 2010 and the project went online in September 2011. Because of Colorado’s Clean Energy Standard (30% by 2020) many turbine manufacturers have been compelled to build facilities in the area. Therefore, all components for Cedar Point’s Vestas V90 1.8-turbines were manufactured within the state, engaging local workers and reducing shipping time.

Although high wind speeds make the site great for generating wind energy, these winds also affected construction. In an informational video about the project, Enbridge says about 20 days of construction were dubbed as “wind outs” when crane work was shut down due to winds over 22 mph. However, VP of Construction Jason Zingerman says planning was efficient enough so that when inclement weather arrived, roads and other necessary infrastructure were complete, allowing progress to continue. “The company feels fortunate that the weather was cooperative for most of construction because the area tends to experience occasional extreme conditions,” he says. “RES Americas was able to get ahead on the construction schedule and stay there throughout the duration of the project.”

The project’s turbines are connected by two substations and generate about 875,000 MWh annually. Energy generated from Cedar Point travels about 42 miles to interconnect with power purchaser Public Service Company of Colorado (PSCo), an Xcel Energy company. The wind farm will deliver electricity to PSCo’s electricity transmission grid to power homes and businesses state wide.

Ramanathan says the project enjoyed strong support, even from the early stages of development. “The community was energetic and supportive of the project from onset to completion,” she says. The company contributes this to numerous open houses and public meetings hosted to ensure the community was comfortable with the project and well informed. “Area residents quickly realized the benefits a wind project of this size would have on the surrounding communities, including the creation of more than 300 jobs during construction and increased tax revenue.” WPE