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Xcel Energy will gain 1,550MW of new
wind generation with a total of seven
wind farms to be built in Minnesota, North
Dakota, South Dakota and Iowa, growing
the company’s regional wind portfolio by
60 percent.
“This investment in renewable energy
keeps bills low for customers while giving
them the clean energy they want and
helping us achieve 63 percent carbon-
free energy by 2030,” said Chris Clark,
president, Xcel Energy-Minnesota. “Wind
energy is at historically low prices right
now, so we’re able to reduce emissions
while securing long-term cost savings for
our customers.”
Xcel Energy is proposing a combination
of owned projects and power purchase
agreements representing more than
$2.5 billion in capital investments. The
company is taking advantage of federal
production tax credits to secure low wind
energy prices.
Advances in turbine technology,
improved wind forecasting and a newly
expanded transmission system have all
played a role in the ability to build new
wind farms.
“We’re significantly increasing the amount
of wind generation on our system in part
due to the recent completion of Midwest
transmission projects that connect wind-
rich areas to our customers,” Clark
continued.
Wind across the Midwest
wiredInUSA - May 2017
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