Enel Green Power started construction on the 199 MW expansion of the Cimarron Bend wind farm in Clark County, Kansas.
The expansion, consisting of 74 turbines, will increase the wind farm’s capacity to 599 MW from the current 400 MW, making it the largest wind farm in Enel’s North American portfolio.
Construction, which will involve an investment of over 281 million US dollars, is expected to be completed by the end of 2020.
Cimarron Bend’s first two phases entered into service in 2016 and 2017, involving an overall investment of over 891 million US dollars
Upon completion of the 199 MW addition, Cimarron Bend will generate a total of more than 2.7 TWh per year, equivalent to avoiding 1.8 million tons of CO2 emissions.
The electricity from a 150 MW portion of the expansion is being sold under a 15-year bundled power purchase agreement (PPA) with electric services company Evergy.
In January, Evergy committed to reducing carbon emissions 80% below 2005 levels by 2050.
Across the US and Canada, Enel Green Power is constructing nearly 1 GW of new wind and solar capacity in 2020. Other Enel Green Power construction projects include the 245 MW second phase of the Roadrunner solar project in Texas, the 236.5 MW White Cloud wind project in Missouri and the 299 MW Aurora wind project in North Dakota.