We talked with FERC Commissioner Tony Clark, who has said he will not seek a second term.
Ensuring State Emission Reduction in Clean Power Plan
NextEra Energy Partners completed its previously announced agreement to acquire approximately 664 MW of operating renewable power generation assets from the sponsor, NextEra Energy Resources. The additional facilities include: Ashtabula Wind III, a 62.4-MW wind generating facility located in Barnes County, N.D.; Baldwin, a 102.4-MW wind generating facility located in Burleigh County, N.D.; Mammoth Plains, a 198.9-MW wind generating facility located in Dewey and Blaine Counties, Okla.; and Stateline, a 300-MW wind generating facility located on the border of
Minnesota Power completed commissioning the latest phase of its Bison Wind Energy Center. The 205-MW expansion makes it the largest wind farm in North Dakota. All 64 turbines within the 35-square-mile boundaries of Bison 4 are now generating renewable energy, which is delivered to the company's customers via a 465-mile direct current transmission line linking Center, N.D., and Duluth, Minn. In total, the nearly 500 MW produced by Bison's 165 turbines rank it as North Dakota's largest wind farm in terms of electric generating capacity.
Montana-Dakota Utilities, a division of MDU Resources Group, signed an agreement to purchase a North Dakota wind farm to be developed by ALLETE Clean Energy. The wind project, located near Hettinger, N.D., and comprised of 43 turbines producing 107.5 MW of electricity, is anticipated to be completed in December 2015. The project's cost is approximately $200 million and the purchase is subject to regulatory approvals.
The Clean Power Plan's largest obstacle is how its cost is distributed disproportionately among the states.
Market manipulation versus the right to make a profit.
Siemens Energy was awarded an order by Minnesota Power for 64 units of the company's latest 3-MW D3 platform wind turbines to be installed at the Bison Wind Energy Center near New Salem, North Dakota. The wind turbines feature a 113-meter rotor and 92.5-meter hub height and thus increased rating of 3.2 MW. Installation of the turbines is scheduled to begin in mid-June 2014, and commercial operation is slated for December 2014.
Montana-Dakota Utilities Co., a division of MDU Resources Group, signed a PPA with Thunder Spirit Wind LLC, a subsidiary of Wind Works Power. The agreement is for approximately 105 MW of installed capacity of wind turbine generators to be located in southwest North Dakota. The generation will interconnect at Montana-Dakota’s substation near Hettinger, ND. The project is expected to begin commercial operation in the fourth quarter of 2015. Montana-Dakota issued a request for proposal earlier this year for electric capacity and energy.
Not just ‘all of the above,’ but ‘how much of each?’