Apex Closes Sale of 383 MW Isabella Wind Projects to DTE Energy

Apex Clean Energy today announced the closing of the sale of the Isabella Wind I and II projects to DTE Energy, Michigan’s leading producer of renewable energy, and the start of commercial operations for the facilities. The wind farms, totaling 383 MW and located in Michigan’s Isabella County, are the largest clean energy facilities in the state and in DTE’s portfolio. Apex developed and managed construction of the wind farms, which DTE will operate.

“With stakeholders at every level—from localities and utilities to power buyers and the statehouse—helping drive the transition to clean energy in the Great Lakes State, Apex and DTE brought to life the largest wind projects in the history of Michigan,” said Mark Goodwin, Apex Clean Energy president and CEO. “Alongside partners like DTE, we will continue to pioneer the new energy economy, both in Michigan and beyond.”

The Isabella Wind projects will serve commercial and industrial customers—including Ford, General Motors, and the University of Michigan—who have enrolled in MIGreenPower, DTE’s voluntary renewable energy program.

The projects were supported by a construction loan from KeyBank and CoBank, ACB as coordinating lead arrangers, Rabobank as joint lead arranger, and Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank as lender.

The Isabella Wind facilities will generate approximately $30 million in tax revenue for the local community, $100 million in landowner payments over the lifetime of the project, more than 350 jobs during construction, up to 20 long-term operations and maintenance positions, and enough clean energy to power the equivalent of 86,000 average U.S. homes. The wind farms will also displace nearly 700,000 tons of carbon dioxide annually, according to the EPA’s AVERT tool.