Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association and EDP Renewables (EDPR) announce a 15-year power purchase agreement (PPA) that will enable the continued development and eventual construction of the 104-MW Crossing Trails Wind Farm. The project, which is expected to be operational in 2020, marks Tri-State’s fifth investment in a utility-scale wind energy project and expands EDP Renewables’ presence into its 15th U.S. state.
Tri-State, a wholesale cooperative power supplier owned by 43 member electric cooperatives and public power districts, will further expand its emissions-free renewable energy portfolio with this agreement, which is the second PPA the company announced following the issuance of its request for proposals for renewable energy supply in June 2018.
The Crossing Trails Wind Farm is located approximately 20 miles south of the Town of Seibert and is within both Kit Carson and Cheyenne Counties. When operational, the wind farm will produce enough electricity to annually power more than 47,000 average rural Colorado homes and will also bring economic benefits – including jobs, landowner and tax payments, and money spent in local communities – to the region and the state.
“EDP Renewables and Tri-State’s partnership represents our commitment to continuing to increase the clean energy landscape in the United States,” said Miguel Prado, EDP Renewables North America CEO. “EDPR is pleased to enter in to the state of Colorado and provide cost-effective, emissions-free energy through its Crossing Trails Wind Farm.”
The Crossing Trails Wind Farm is located within the service territory of K.C. Electric Association, a Tri-State member system serving three counties in eastern Colorado. Like Tri-State, K.C. is a not-for-profit, member-owned electric cooperative.
“Membership in Tri-State allows K.C. Electric and our other members to combine their strengths to invest in renewable energy projects through the association at the lowest possible costs,” said David Churchwell, general manager of K.C. Electric Association in Hugo. “We welcome EDP Renewables and Tri-State’s investment in eastern Colorado.”
Nearly a third of the energy consumed by Tri-State’s members comes from renewable energy. With the addition of the Crossing Trails Wind Farm, Tri-State has now invested in five utility-scale wind farms in Colorado, totaling 471 MW. EDP Renewables also continues to actively pursue other renewable energy development opportunities in Colorado.
Tell Us What You Think!