Enel Green Power North America, Inc. (EGPNA), the U.S. renewable energy company of the Enel Group, has started construction of the Rattlesnake Creek wind farm in the United States. Once completed, Rattlesnake Creek will have a total installed capacity of 320 MW and will be Enel’s first wind farm in the state of Nebraska.
“This project consolidates our growing presence in the US as our company enters into a new state and expands our business with new partners,” said Antonio Cammisecra, Head of Enel Green Power. “We are thrilled to be able to support Facebook’s growing renewable energy needs in Nebraska and be a part of driving economic development in the region.”
Investment in the construction of Rattlesnake Creek amounts to an approximate 430 million US dollars and is part of the investment outlined in the Enel Group’s current strategic plan. The project is financed through the Enel Group’s own resources.
A 200 MW portion of the power and renewable energy credits from Rattlesnake Creek will be sold to Facebook under a bundled, long-term power purchase agreement. The wind energy will supply 100% of the power needed to operate Facebook’s new data centre in Papillion, Nebraska, located about 120 miles from the Rattlesnake Creek wind project.
“We know from experience that when people come together, they can do a lot of good in the world,” said Bobby Hollis, Director of Global Energy at Facebook. “We came together with the Omaha Public Power District, Tradewind Energy, and now, Enel Green Power, to ensure renewable energy solutions are accessible not just to Facebook, but to other companies as well. Today, we are one step closer to our goal of powering all of our operations with clean and renewable energy, and we are grateful to our partners for this collaboration.”
EGPNA acquired the project from Tradewind Energy, their long-term strategic development partner, headquartered in Kansas. The facility is owned by Rattlesnake Creek Wind Project, LLC, a subsidiary of EGPNA, and is located in Dixon County, Nebraska. Once fully operational, Rattlesnake Creek will be able to generate around 1.3 TWh annually, enough energy to meet the equivalent annual consumption needs of more than 105,000 U.S. households while avoiding the emission of around 940,000 tonnes of CO2 each year.
EGPNA, part of the Renewable Energies division of the Enel Group, is a leading owner and operator of renewable energy plants in North America with projects operating and under development in 23 U.S. states and two Canadian provinces. EGPNA operates around 100 plants with a managed capacity exceeding 3.6 GW powered by renewable hydropower, wind, geothermal and solar energy. The company is currently the largest wind operator in Kansas and the second largest wind operator in Oklahoma.
Enel Green Power, the renewable energies division of the Enel Group, is dedicated to the development and operation of renewables in 24 countries, with a presence in Europe, the Americas, Asia, Africa and Oceania. Enel Green Power is a global leader in the green energy sector with a managed capacity of more than 39 GW across a generation mix that includes wind, solar, geothermal, biomass and hydropower, and is at the forefront of integrating innovative technologies like storage systems into renewable power plants. Through corporate power purchase agreements, Enel Green Power enables companies to capture business value, while also tackling climate change.
Photo: Courtesy of Enel Green Power North America, Inc
