Southern Power Acquires 136 MW Wind Facility From RES

Infinity Power Adds 1 GW to Portfolio with Acquision of African Wind Projects

Southern Power has acquired the 136 MW Skookumchuck Wind Facility from RES

Southern Power, a leading US wholesale energy provider and a subsidiary of Southern Company, has announced the acquisition of its 12th wind project, the 136-megawatt (MW) Skookumchuck Wind Facility from RES (Renewable Energy Systems).

“This project is a great addition to our renewable portfolio,” said Southern Power President Bill Grantham. “We continue to strive to develop clean, safe, reliable and affordable wholesale energy resources for the benefit of our customers.”

The project, located in Lewis and Thurston Counties, Washington, is the company’s first wind facility in the state and contributes to the company’s growing renewable fleet of clean generating assets from California to Maine. Skookumchuck was developed by RES and is expected to utilise 38 wind turbines manufactured by Vestas. Construction is underway, and the project is expected to achieve commercial operation in the first quarter of 2020.

Once operational, the electricity and associated renewable energy credits generated by the facility will be sold under a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with Puget Sound Energy, which will utilise the resource to meet the electricity demand of their Green Direct product customers. Southern Power is the majority owner and has signed an agreement to sell a minority stake in the facility to TransAlta Corporation upon commercial operation.

With the addition of the wind facility, Southern Power’s wind portfolio consists of more than 1,960 MW of wind generation. Southern Power’s wind facilities are a part of the company’s 3,190-MW renewable fleet, which consists of 40 solar and wind facilities operating or under construction.

This project aligns with the firm’s overall business strategy of strengthening its wholesale business by acquiring and developing generating assets that are covered by long-term contracts with counter-parties with strong credit support.

Recently, we reported that RWE Renewables has acquired a pipeline of up to 4 offshore wind projects in Poland as part of its ambitions to enter the Polish offshore market and grow its offshore operations across Europe, with a total generation capacity of more than 1.5 GW.