Duke Energy Sustainable Solutions (DESS) has started commercial operation of the 207-megawatt (MW) Ledyard Windpower project in Kossuth County, Iowa.
“More than 10 percent of the nation’s wind power is in Iowa, and it’s exciting for our company to begin operating in that market,” said Chris Fallon, president of Duke Energy Sustainable Solutions. “We also have a terrific customer in Verizon, and we help them advance their own renewable energy portfolio for their operations.”
Verizon Communications is supporting the wind power project through a 15-year virtual power purchase agreement (VPPA) for 180 MW of power from the Ledyard project.
“Verizon’s support of renewable energy is a key enabler to achieving our goal of net-zero emissions in our operations by 2035,” said James Gowen, Verizon’s chief sustainability officer and senior vice president, global supply chain.
This is DESS’s first project in the state, providing enough renewable capacity to power the equivalent of 75,000 U.S. homes. It consists of 46 Vestas V150 4.5-MW turbines. Duke Energy Sustainable Solutions is responsible for the site’s long-term maintenance and operations.
Ledyard Windpower created about 200 jobs during peak construction. The 12,000-acre agricultural site will continue to be used by farmers.
Ledyard Windpower was co-developed by Duke Energy Sustainable Solutions and Amshore Renewable Energy.