Xcel Energy Inc., a U.S. utility wind provider, has placed the first order for the 138-MW Foxtail wind project in North Dakota. The utility has chosen Vestas’ V120-2.0 MW, which offers the 2-MW platform’s longest blades.
According to Vestas, the V120-2.2 MW platform’s larger rotors deliver more stable energy production with a higher power output at lower wind speeds. Ultimately, this means higher certainty in power performance.
The Foxtail wind project will be 150 megawatts upon completion (including the previously purchased 2-MW PTC components), and is part of Xcel Energy’s proposed multi-state wind expansion to add 3,680 MW of new wind generation to its system, across 12 projects located in seven states across its territory.
“These projects deliver on our vision to keep energy costs low while also achieving 85% carbon free energy by 2030 for the Upper Midwest,” said Chris Clark, president, Xcel Energy Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota.
This expansion will increase Xcel Energy’s wind capacity to more than 10,000 MW by the end of 2021.
“We are pleased to expand our portfolio with Xcel Energy and supply the V120-2.0 MW, our most advanced turbine in the 2-MW platform, for the Foxtail project, which will help Xcel Energy realize their vision to deliver low-cost wind energy to their customers,” said Chris Brown, President of Vestas’ sales and service division in the U.S. and Canada. “Wind energy is an incredible contributor to the U.S. economy, and the production, construction and operation of these turbines will generate hundreds of millions in economic benefit including considerable amounts of long-term, secure jobs.”
Xcel Energy and Vestas previously partnered on the 600-MW Rush Creek wind project in Colorado, the largest wind project of its kind in the state. Rush Creek, currently under construction, is “Colorado made,” with turbines produced at Vestas’ Colorado factories, and is expected to save Colorado customers $1.1 billion over the life of the project.
The order includes supply and commissioning of the turbines as well as a 10-year Active Output Management 5000 (AOM 5000) service agreement, designed to maximize uptime and energy production and ensure optimized performance for the lifetime of the project. Turbine delivery will begin in the second quarter of 2019.
Filed Under: News, Projects, Turbines
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