UTILITIES WANT WIND

U.S. electric utilities flock to lower-priced wind power; Xcel, MidAmerican among leaders as more utilities sign up for consumer savings

February 20, 2013 (American Wind Energy Association)

“…A total of 66 U.S. utilities bought or owned wind power by the start of [2013]…up from 42 a year before…[and] continued to sign up for more since Congress and President Obama extended the Production Tax Credit…Xcel Energy, the number one wind energy provider in the nation, is considering adding more wind generation in Minnesota and Colorado because of the PTC extension…[For] MidAmerican Energy, the No. 1 utility in the U.S. in terms of ownership of wind capacity…[and] a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway, the holding company controlled by investor Warren Buffett... [wind] now comprises 30 percent of [its] generation portfolio…

“…Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association…[cited] the recently extended PTC and ongoing Renewable Portfolio Standard requirements in moving forward with an RFP…for approximately 100 MW of renewable energy to take advantage of competitive market prices……Oklahoma Gas & Electric[reported fuel cost savings from using wind over the previous fiscal year of approximately $1.2 million…and estimated the subsequent year savings at $2.2 million, the first five year production cost savings at $268 million and the twenty-five-year life of the asset production cost savings at $2.3 billion]…”

click to enlarge

“…Minnesota Power, part of ALLETE Inc….[expects to be able to] phase out a long-term contract for coal generation and replace it with wind energy, increasing renewables to 20 percent of its generation mix en route to meeting Minnesota's goal of 25 percent by 2025…Alliant Energy Corp., a subsidiary of Interstate Power & Light Co….issued an RFP for approximately 100 MW of wind power in the Midwest… Nebraska Public Power District recently signed a purchase agreement for 75 MW; Omaha Public Power District is in the process of signing for an additional 200 MW; and Lincoln Electric is seeking 50 MW, all as a result of the PTC's extension for projects started in 2013.

“…Puget Sound Energy…set a new record by generating 23.5 percent of its energy from the utility's three Eastern Washington wind farms...[DTE Energy's] ECHO Wind project, slated for 2013, will have a combined levelized cost of approximately $52.50 per megawatt-hour (MWh)…[Wind] investment will contribute $150 million in economic benefits to Michigan…Consumers Electric Power [estimated its wind added] $10 million…”

Tweet