NextEra Energy Resources has tapped GE to supply the 100MW Oliver 3 wind farm in North Dakota.
The US manufacturer will deliver about 44 2.3MW turbines to the expansion project, located in Oliver and Morton counties.
NextEra has applied to the state Public Service Commission for a certificate of site compatibility. The developer assumes a net capacity factor of 55.3% and estimates the projected average annual output at 484,428 MWh/year.
The addition is expected to start operating in early 2017, doubling the size of the existing Oliver 1 and 2 wind farms.
The developer has signed a 35-year power purchase agreement with Minnkota Power Cooperative. The project will connect via a 4.5-mile tap to the utility’s 230kV Center to Mandan transmission line.
Minnkota also has 357MW of PPAs in place with NextEra’s Langdon and Ashtabula wind farms in the eastern side of the state.
“Minnkota has been at the forefront of renewable energy development in North Dakota,” said Minnkota chief executive MacMcLennan.
By early 2017 almost 35% of the utility’s electricity generation capacity will come from wind.
Image: NextEra
