City Utilities has entered into a contract to purchase 200 megawatts (MW) of wind energy from Duke Energy Renewables. The Frontier Windpower Project is a 200 MW wind farm that will be
located in Kay County, Oklahoma.
According to CU, through a standard purchased power agreement, similar to the CU Solar Farm, CU will purchase all wind energy produced from the Frontier site. The 22-year agreement is expected to produce enough energy to supply power to around 60,000 homes.
CU says, this project, combined with other renewable energy projects, brings CU’s renewable energy portfolio to approximately 36 percent of the total energy demand from its 111,000 electric customers. Delivery of energy from the Frontier Windpower Project is expected to begin in late 2016.
In a news release, CU General Manager Scott Miller said, "City Utilities is pleased to partner with Duke Energy on the Frontier Windpower Project. Providing a long-term renewable source of power generation in this changing market is critical to the future of utilities. We look forward to bringing this source on line for our customers in the coming months."
Andy Knott, senior campaign representative with the Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal Campaign in Missouri, said the announcement “marks an important turning point for the city of Springfield.”
He says they’ll continue to urge CU “to shift away from its aging fleet of coal-fired power plants, which burden customers with high costs and threaten local air and water.”
