Xcel Energy Seeks To Acquire 200-Megawatt North Dakota Wind Project

MINNEAPOLIS – Xcel Energy today will ask state regulators to allow the company to build and own the proposed Courtenay Wind Farm near Jamestown, North Dakota.

Company asks regulators to allow it to develop and own Courtenay Wind Farm

To preserve for its customers the environmental and cost benefits of 200 megawatts of wind power that was at risk of not being developed, Xcel Energy today will ask state regulators to allow the company to build and own the proposed Courtenay Wind Farm near Jamestown, North Dakota.

Regulators in Minnesota and North Dakota previously approved Xcel Energy’s plan to purchase power from the Courtenay project under a power purchase agreement with Geronimo Energy. However, Geronimo decided to exit the project for various reasons.

“The Courtenay project is an important part of our aggressive plans to reduce carbon emissions and double our commitment to renewable energy resources in the most cost-effective way possible,” said Chris Clark, president of Northern States Power Co.-Minnesota, an Xcel Energy company.

“We are glad for the opportunity to preserve the benefits of this project for our customers. The Courtenay Wind Farm has the added value of locating an important generation resource in North Dakota, an important part of our service territory.”< /p>

Xcel Energy previously announced plans to deliver more than 60 percent carbon-free energy by 2030 through aggressive conservation efforts, doubling renewable energy resources and scaling back the use of coal.

Ensuring the Courtenay project continues also will provide economic benefits in North Dakota and Stutsman County, where 100 wind turbines will be constructed across 25,000 acres on property leased from more than 60 landowners.

“The project will create an estimated 200 construction jobs and about 10 permanent jobs for operations and maintenance,” Clark said, “and it will provide approximately $850,000 annually in tax revenue to local governments.”

If approved by regulators in Minnesota and North Dakota, the Courtenay Wind Farm is expected to be in service by the end of 2016.

The Courtenay project is part of a 750-megawatt wind power addition, representing a 42 percent increase in Xcel Energy’s Upper Midwest wind portfolio, which is a critical component of the company’s carbon emissions reduction plan. Together, the four projects will provide enough power to serve about 200,000 homes and save customers more than $225 million over the projects’ lives.

The other three projects in the package – the 200-megawatt Odell Wind Farm near Windom, Minnesota; the 200-megawatt Pleasant Valley project near Austin, Minnesota; and the 150-megawatt Border Winds Project near Rolla, North Dakota – are or soon will be under construction. Xcel Energy will purchase power from the Odell project, which was developed by Geronimo Energy and will be owned by Algonquin Power. RES America Developments Inc. is building the Pleasant Valley and Border Winds projects and will transfer ownership to Xcel Energy.

Xcel Energy, which recently was ranked the nation’s No. 1 wind power provider for the 11th consecutive year by the American Wind Energy Association, already has 1,800 megawatts of wind on its Upper Midwest system and is well ahead of meeting state renewable energy targets.

“We know our customers want to reduce the environmental impact of energy production while keeping costs affordable, and our plan to acquire the Courtenay Wind Farm project helps us meet those expectations,” Clark said.