Greentech Lead America: enXco, an EDF Energies Nouvelles
company, has received green signal from the California Public Utilities
Commission (CPUC) for the 102.5 MW Shiloh IV Wind Project PPA.
Around 235 Kenetech 100kW turbines originally installed
in 1989 have been removed and will be replaced with 50 REpower 2.05 MW
turbines. enXco claims that Shiloh IV Wind Project is the largest repowering
project in the U.S.
enXco will develop, build, and own the Shiloh IV Wind
Project while Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) will purchase the power
generated under a 25-year power purchase agreement to supply approximately
40,000 average homes with clean electricity.
The project will be operated and maintained by enXco
Service Corporation. The company is planning to start commercial operations by
the end of 2012.
“The Shiloh IV project underscores the importance of
technical innovation in the wind industry and its continual progress,”
said Mark Tholke, vice president for enXco’s southwest region.
“We are pleased to be able to implement today’s
state-of-the-art turbine technology to achieve more than four-times greater
capacity and nearly ten-times more energy with minimal addition in land
resources. Policy support, such as California’s 33 percent mandate for
renewable energy and the federal Production Tax Credit, are critical for a
stable wind industry focused on continued technological improvement,”
Tholke added.
The company will donate two Kenetech 100kW turbines to
Rio Vista High School’s Green Jobs Program. The Green Jobs Program is to
prepare students for careers in the green energy industry. Thirty students are
enrolled, with a second group of students expected for Fall Semester 2012.
“This is an exciting opportunity for our students to
learn first-hand the skills required in the renewable energy sector. enXco has
been a superb community partner providing support for course materials,
organizing field trips and donating equipment, all which helps our students be
better prepared for the work place,” said Rio Vista High School Instructor
Jim Bard.