The 200 MW Hereford Wind Project, developed by EDF Renewable Energy has begun commercial operation in Texas.
The project started in 2013, used around 54 wind turbines from GE having 1.85- MW as well as 50 Vestas V100 2.0-megawatt wind turbines.
The electricity generated from this project will be supplied into the CREZ (Competitive Renewable Energy Zone) transmission infrastructure which will cater to the electric demands of West Texas and the Texas Panhandle.
EDF has signed a long-term agreement with ERCOT (Electric Reliability Council of Texas) to supply the power.
Power generated from Hereford Wind will be enough to power approximately 55,000 homes, avoiding nearly 375,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions per year.
In addition, EDF will be responsible for the long-term operations and maintenance of the plant along with 24/7 remote monitoring from NERC compliant Operations Control Center (OCC).
With the Hereford project in operation, the EDF’s total installed capacity in Texas market in 2012 will hit 672 MW. Construction of another 394 MW is under progress.
EDF provides O&M services to more than 9 gigawatts of renewable energy projects across North America.
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Moreover, with the completion of Hereford project, EDF has closed tax equity financing with BNY Mellon and MUFG Union Bank.
In October 2014, EDF in partnership with Microsoft launched the Pilot Hill Wind Project groundbreaking ceremony. The 175 megawatt wind project is expected to begin commercial operation early in 2015.
In another development, EDF announced the official opening of its M1 wind farm near Quinton, Northampton in September 2014. The site included nine turbines capable of producing over 7 MW of electricity.
Sabeena Wahid
editor@greentechlead.com