Enel Green Power North America started the Caney River Wind Farm in one of its investments on the continent. The project has 200 MW of capacity and powers an estimated 60,000 households.
Ownership of the Project
Tradewind Energy developed the project in 2011 in partnership with Enel Green Power North America (EGPNA). EGPNA bought Tradewind Energy 2019 and its entire portfolio. Enel Green Power’s (EGP) total installed capacity of 54 GW makes it the largest private operator of renewable projects. EGPNA is its North American subsidiary.
Founded in 2008 by its founding company Enel, EGP is present on five continents and is one of the industry leaders worldwide. Enel Group established EGP to concentrate on green energy.
The company aims for a balanced energy mix of wind, sun, water, and geothermal. In 2019, EGP produced green power for 51% of the total energy generation mix of the Enel Group. EGP avoided 66 million tons of atmospheric emissions in 2021.
Project Details
The Caney River Wind project uses V-90 wind turbines from Vestas. EGP invested $350 million in the project avoiding approximately 580,000 tons of atmospheric emissions yearly. The project produces 765 gigawatt-hours annually.
The power generated by the Caney River Wind Farm can meet the energy needs of 60,000 households. The wind farm has 111 Vestas wind turbines with a total of 200 MW in installed capacity.
The wind power project is a 14-thousand-acre lot in Howard, Elk County, Kansas. The project has an installed capacity of 200 MW.
Power Purchase Agreements
Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) purchases the electricity generated by the wind farm based on a 20-year power purchase agreement. The project provides TVA with a well-balanced energy mix in its electricity sources.
Strengthening the Community
The project invested $8.5 million to help establish environmental restrictions needed in the tallgrass prairie of Kansas. The fund helps protect 18,000 hectares of habitat and replenish 6,000 hectares of tallgrass prairie in Kansas.
Economic Benefits
The project employed more than 200 construction workers during the construction phase of the project in 2011.
Enel Green Power’s Net-Zero Goal
The company aims to reach net-zero emissions by 2040 in its operations and power plants. The company reinforced this goal in 2022 in the company’s 60th anniversary during ‘Net Zero Grid Day’ in Rome. In May 2022, Enel announced open-sourcing its standards for stakeholders to adopt solutions in connecting to the grids it manages.
To this end, Enel will open the ‘Open Power Association’ as the group to facilitate the sharing of standards. As a result, this move by Enel will help fast-track the adoption of renewable technologies across the network.
Expansion Plans
The company currently has no expansion plans proposed for the project.