PPM Energy announces Twin Buttes
wind farm in Colorado
Portland, OR— PPM Energy announced it will
begin construction this fall on the 75-megawatt (MW) Twin Buttes
Wind Power Project near Lamar in southeastern Colorado.
Power generated by the Twin Buttes project will
be delivered under a long-term contract to Colorado customers of
Xcel Energy. Xcel also receives the entire output of the adjacent
162 MW Colorado Green Wind Project, a joint venture between PPM
Energy and Shell WindEnergy, Inc.
In November 2004, Colorado voters approved a standard
that will require Xcel Energy and other utilities to secure 10 percent
of their energy sales from renewable energy by 2015. Xcel Energy
will have approximately 2,500 MW of wind power in 10 states by the
end of 2007. Approximately one third of Xcel’s wind generation
is located within Colorado.
Twin Buttes will use 50 GE 1.5 MW turbines. Construction
is scheduled for completion by the end of 2007.
While the project spans approximately 9,000 acres
owned by seven landowners, the actual footprint of the turbines
uses less than two percent of the total acreage. The remainder continues
to be used for ranching and grazing. The project is expected to
create an average of between 40 to 50 jobs during construction.
In addition to the creation of five to six full-time jobs in the
community, the project initially is expected to provide several
hundred thousand dollars a year in property tax revenues.
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