Alabama Power is now receiving energy from the Oklahoma-based Chisholm View Wind Project as part of a 2011 power purchase agreement. 

This energy, along with the approval of a similar agreement in September with the Buffalo Dunes Wind Project, positions Alabama Power to be a leading purchaser of wind-generated energy in the Southeast by 2014. The agreements allow Alabama Power to provide its customers with cost-effective energy in a region where weather patterns are much less favorable for wind generation. 

“We are always looking for ways to provide our customers with reliable energy options that are environmentally friendly,” said John Kelley, Alabama Power resource planning director. “These agreements allow us to bring wind energy to our customers without burdening them with investment costs.” 

Kelley said these purchases are expected to displace higher-cost energy Alabama Power would otherwise produce using other resources. Under both agreements, the company has the flexibility to use generated wind energy to serve customers and retire the associated renewable energy credits (RECs) or sell the energy and RECs to others, either separately or bundled together. 

By 2014, the two projects will produce up to 404 megawatts from wind – enough to power the equivalent of 115,000 homes. Alabama Power has power purchase agreements and generation facilities producing up to 2,000 megawatts of energy from wind, biomass and hydro generation projects.

The Chisholm View Wind Project is in Grant and Garfield counties, Okla. The Buffalo Dunes Wind Project is under construction near Garden City, Kan. Both agreements are 20-year contracts through TradeWind Energy.

To view photos of the Chisholm View project during construction, please visit http://alabamapowernews.com/doubling-down-on-wind. To view video of the completed project, please visit http://alpwr.co/okwind.

To watch a short interview with Kelley about the company’s wind projects, please visit http://youtu.be/6q6Q0_C1SX0.