NRG Energy completes construction of Elbow Creek Wind Project in Texas
NRG Energy's first wind project, the 150-MW Sherbino I Wind Farm in Pecos County, Texas, came online in October 2008. Sherbino I is a 50-50 joint venture with BP Wind Energy North America Inc.
NRG Energy, Inc. has announced the completion of construction on its second wind farm, the 122-megawatt (MW) Elbow Creek Wind Project in Howard County near Big Spring, Texas. The wind farm was developed by NRG subsidiary Padoma Wind Power LLC and is being dispatched by NRG Texas.
The Elbow Creek Wind Project consists of 53 Siemens wind turbine generators, each able to generate up to 2.3 MW of power. Early land rights to the project were acquired from Wind Plus Holdings, Inc.
“Elbow Creek is our second wind project and another important step forward in our RepoweringNRG program, which includes our zero-emission nuclear generation to help satisfy growing electricity demand,” said David Crane, President and CEO of NRG Energy
“Additional wind power provides a valuable resource to NRG’s generation portfolio and helps Texas meet its energy needs,” said Jan Paulin, President and CEO, Padoma Wind Power. “Elbow Creek, along with Sherbino, is now generating electricity for the ERCOT grid.”
Prior to commencing construction, Elbow Creek executed a 10-year agreement to sell all the Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) associated with the electricity generated by the project to 3Degrees.
“As part of our efforts to grow the voluntary market for renewable energy, 3Degrees contracted for the full output of RECs from the Elbow Creek Wind farm for the first 10 years of operation and did so over a year before the project commenced commercial operations,” said Dan Kalafatas, President of 3Degrees. “This project is a showcase for how voluntary commitments can help bring online major renewable energy projects that produce clean renewable energy above and beyond what is required by mandates.”
The non-profit Center for Resource Solutions (CRS) provided guidance to NRG to help clarify the ownership of the RECs from the project. CRS runs the Green-e® Energy certification program, the nation’s leading certification and verification program for voluntary renewable energy purchases. The RECs generated from the Elbow Creek Wind Farm are eligible for Green-e® Energy certification, subject to meeting all other components of Green-e® Energy certification.
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