Greentech Lead
America: Brookfield Renewable Energy Partners has achieved commercial
operation of 102 MW wind farm in Tehachapi, California.
In January 2012, Brookfield Renewable and its institutional
partners increased stake to 100 percent from 50 percent stake. It now owns 274
MW of operating wind generating capacity in the Tehachapi region. The Tehachapi
region benefits from an attractive wind resource and its proximity to the
demand center of Los Angeles.
“We were able to quickly bring our expertise to bear,
and in the span of approximately one year, secured a long-term power purchase
agreement, an interconnection agreement and project financing, as well as the
completion of all other engineering and commercial requirements which enabled
construction to begin. This project demonstrates our ability to deploy both
capital and operating expertise and to work together with our stakeholders to
build significant value,” said Richard Legault, chief executive officer of
Brookfield Renewable.
Power from the project will be sold under a 20-year power
purchase agreement with a large, local utility. The wind farm is expected to
produce enough clean, renewable power annually to power more than 26,000 U.S.
homes on average.
Brookfield Renewable Energy Partners’ portfolio is
hydroelectric and totals approximately 5,000 megawatts of installed capacity.
Diversified across 67 river systems and 10 power markets in
Canada, the United States and Brazil, the portfolio generates enough
electricity from renewable resources to power two million homes on average each
year.