Great Pathfinder Wind, located in Boone and Hamilton Counties, Iowa, is currently under construction and is expected to begin operations in Q4 2022. Apex is providing construction management services for the project and IEA Constructors, a wholly owned subsidiary of Infrastructure and Energy Alternatives, is constructing the project, which is composed of 66 GE wind turbine generators.

The wind facility will generate an estimated $73.9 million in local tax revenue, $68.8 million in payments to landowners and nearly 300 full-time local jobs during construction.

Upon completion, Great Pathfinder Wind will support Meta’s operations under a long-term power purchase agreement for the full capacity of the project. The PPA represents Apex’s fifth such transaction with Meta.

“Apex, as a pure-play renewable energy company, has delivered more than $10 billion of clean energy resources to date, with projects in development to support an additional $50 billion in wind, solar, storage and green fuels generation facilities,” said Mark Goodwin, president and CEO of Apex Clean Energy. “From clean electrons in the grid to green fuels for industry and transport, we are delivering energy solutions to decarbonize sectors across our economy. Apex is the energy company of the future.”

News item from Apex Clean Energy

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The Discovery Wind project, expected to reach commercial operations in 2025, will be the single largest wind project in North Dakota and will deliver renewable energy over the 436-mile high-voltage direct-current (HVDC) transmission system.

The project will fulfill a significant portion of the renewable energy needs for Great River Energy’s power supply transition and deliver wind energy west of the Twin Cities. The electric cooperative announced plans in 2020 to phase out the remaining coal in its power supply portfolio and more than double its renewable energy.

“We are transforming the way we produce electricity and serve our member-owner cooperatives,” said David Saggau, CEO and president of Great River Energy. “Our members will enjoy stable wholesale electric rates for years while providing clean and reliable energy to Minnesota and parts of Wisconsin.”

Great River Energy is also converting the coal-based Spiritwood Station power plant located near Jamestown, North Dakota, to be fueled primarily with natural gas and developing a 1 MW, multi-day grid battery in Cambridge, Minnesota.

Great River Energy has long had operations in McLean County through its 1,100 MW Coal Creek Station power plant and the western terminus of the HVDC transmission system. Great River Energy is in the process of selling the power plant and transmission system to Rainbow Energy Center and Nexus Line, respectively. The transaction will be finalized upon approval from Great River Energy’s member-owner cooperatives and progress toward successful implementation of the Discovery Wind project.

The agreement with Apex Clean Energy comes less than two weeks after Great River Energy announced it secured capacity on the HVDC transmission system for renewable energy development. Discovery Wind’s location near an existing power plant provides a unique opportunity to interconnect a very large project to the constrained Midwest electric grid.

“This announcement shows our dedication to being partners in clean energy with Great River Energy, and it delivers on verbal promises we made when we first announced our intent to purchase Coal Creek Station,” said Stacy Tschider, president of Rainbow Energy Center and Nexus Line. “This is just one of many carbon-neutral objectives we intend to fulfill, culminating with the successful implementation of carbon capture and sequestration at Coal Creek Station.”

Great River Energy’s power supply transition has the cooperative on track to reduce its carbon dioxide emissions by more than 80% by 2025, achieving Minnesota’s emissions target decades ahead of schedule.

“Working with Great River Energy, Rainbow Energy Center and Nexus Line not only will we deliver clean power to a major market, but we will be able to use capacity on an existing pathway to do so — a rare and valuable arrangement in the saturated MISO market,” said Mark Goodwin, CEO and president of Apex Clean Energy. “This innovative solution enables the Discovery Wind project, thereby delivering a multitude of benefits to its North Dakota community, including both preserving and creating critical local jobs.”

News item from Apex Clean Energy

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Located in Isabella County, the Isabella I and Isabella II wind parks have a total of 136 turbines with a capacity of 383 MW. The third park, Fairbanks Wind, is located in the Upper Peninsula’s Delta County and has 21 turbines with a capacity of 72 MW. With the addition of the new wind parks, DTE will generate approximately 1,760 MW from clean energy sources.

The Isabella wind projects were developed and constructed by Apex Clean Energy, and Fairbanks Wind by Heritage Sustainable Energy.

These three new projects are part of DTE’s MIGreenPower voluntary renewable energy program and will source clean energy purchases from some of Michigan’s largest companies, including Ford Motor Company, General Motors and the University of Michigan.

Customers who enroll in MIGreenPower can attribute more of their energy use to DTE’s wind and solar projects, reducing their carbon footprint and supporting renewable energy development in Michigan.

“As the state’s leading producer of renewable energy, DTE is committed to increasing its generation from clean energy sources, including wind and solar,” said Trevor Lauer, president of DTE’s electric company. “Bringing these new wind parks online helps us deliver on our commitment to reduce carbon emissions with the goal of achieving net zero by 2050. Our short- and long-term plans include continued investment in clean energy projects, including some of the largest solar projects in Michigan. Our goal is to get as clean as we can, as fast as we can.”

DTE plans to add six more clean energy projects by the end of 2022, bringing the company’s renewable energy generation capacity to approximately 2,700 MW.

News item from DTE Energy

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