News

Siemens to Supply 126MW to Onshore Wind Power Plants in Scotland

Siemens was awarded orders for three onshore wind projects in Scotland. For the Dersalloch wind farm in the South Ayrshire region, Siemens will construct, install and commission 23 units of its D3 direct drive wind turbines, providing a combined output of 69 MW. The installation of the turbines is scheduled to begin in spring 2016 with the official handover of the site to developers ScottishPower Renewables in autumn 2016. In addition, Siemens will supply six SWT-2.3-93 wind turbines to the Ewe Hill Phase 1.

Southern Company Subsidiary Acquires First Solar Project in Texas

Southern Company subsidiary Southern Power acquired a controlling interest in the 157- MW Roserock solar facility from Recurrent Energy. The facility is being developed by Recurrent Energy, a subsidiary of Canadian Solar, which will retain the remaining interest in the project. The project, currently under construction, is expected to enter commercial operation in the fourth quarter of 2016.

Enbridge Acquires 103-MW West Virginia Wind Project

Enbridge acquired a 100 percent interest in the 103- MW New Creek Wind Project, from EverPower Wind Holdings. Enbridge's total investment is approximately $20 million. Located in Grant County, West Virginia, New Creek Wind will comprise 49 Gamesa G97/G90 turbines and is targeted to be in service in December 2016. The project was developed by EverPower Wind Holdings. New Creek will be constructed under a fixed-EPC agreement with White Construction.

Portland General Electric formalizes Agreement to Join Western EIM

Portland General Electric Company (PGE) and the California Independent System Operator (ISO) filed an implementation agreement with FERC, paving the way for the Portland, Ore.-based utility to participate in the western energy imbalance market (EIM) starting in October 2017. The western EIM is a real-time energy wholesale market that automatically dispatches the lowest-cost electricity resources available to meet utility customer needs while optimizing use of renewable energy over a large geographic area.

NRG Energy Enters into Agreements to Sell Two Generating Plants for $138 Million

NRG Energy agreed to sell two of its generating stations: the 525-MW Seward power plant in New Florence, Pennsylvania and the 352-MW Shelby County power plant in Neoga, Illinois. The Seward facility, which is located in the PJM Interconnection, is being acquired by Seward Generation, a Robindale Energy Services company. The Shelby County facility, which is located in the MISO Interconnection, is being acquired by an affiliate of Rockland Capital.

Nextera Energy Resources to Build, Own and Operate Solar Energy Systems for U.S. Navy

NextEra Energy Resources is planning a project to build, own and operate approximately 17 MW of solar facilities on three separate military installations on Oahu. A subsidiary of NextEra Energy Resources will build one ground-mounted fixed-tilt solar system, three carport solar systems and 10 rooftop solar systems. The systems will be comprised of approximately 71,000 Sharp solar modules. Site preparation is underway, and system construction is expected to begin in February 2016 and be completed by year end.

American Transmission Co. Trying New Drone Technology as Option for Transmission Line Inspections

American Transmission Co. (ATC) contracted with HAZON Solutions to conduct a pilot program to evaluate using drones to inspect transmission lines on its system. The drone used by HAZON is approximately 25 pounds, 2.5 feet in diameter, has eight rotors and is equipped with a high-resolution camera. Drones are increasingly being used by utilities across the nation for inspection purposes. If the pilot program is successful, ATC will evaluate using drone technology in other parts of its service area.

EDF Renewable Energy Signs Agreement to Supply Google with 201MW of Wind Power

Google signed a deal with EDF Renewable Energy (EDF RE) to purchase renewable energy for its data center. The PPA will provide Google with the full output of the 201-MW Great Western Wind Project located in Woodward and Ellis counties near the base of the Oklahoma panhandle. The project will commence construction in the first quarter of 2016 and be fully operational by end of the year. Great Western will be comprised of 30 V117 (unit capacity of 3.3 MW) and 51 V100 (unit capacity of 2.2 MW) wind turbines supplied by Vestas.

Thermal Energy Partners (Through NREI) Sign Nevis PPA

Thermal Energy Partners (TEP), acting through its subsidiary Nevis Renewable Energy International (NREI), and the Nevis Electric Company Limited (NEVLEC) signed a long-term agreement for 25 years of energy supply connected to a geothermal project on the island of Nevis. The first plant of its kind on the island will supply 9 MW of power that is immediately expandable to meet the ongoing power needs of Nevis and easily capable of exporting 40-50 MW of additional power to other islands.

LG Chem Batteries to Power World’s Largest ESS Project for STEAG

LG Chem will integrate six large-scale batteries in STEAG power plants. As part of the world's largest ESS (energy storage systems) project, STEAG GBS (Großbatterie-Systeme) plants belonging to the German power supplier in North-Rhine Westphalia and Rhineland Palatinate will be modernized. With 140-MW hours of power, the storage systems will deliver enough energy to supply 10,000 households per day with electricity.