Associated Electric Cooperative to buy power from Tenaska

Tenaska strategic development and acquisitions group president and managing director Greg Kelly said: “We are excited to be starting a new relationship with Associated, a relationship that will bring more renewable generation and significant economic benefits to the region.

“We look forward to completing development and construction of Tenaska Clear Creek and putting this project into operation.”

Headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, Tenaska has developed around 10,000 MW of natural gas-fueled and renewable power projects.

Based in Springfield, Associated Electric is an electric generation and transmission cooperative.

It provides power to six regional cooperatives, including NW Electric Power Cooperative of Cameron, Missouri, and 51 local cooperative systems in Missouri, southeast Iowa and northeast Oklahoma.

Associated provides a diverse energy mix of coal, natural gas, wind and hydropower.

Associated’s CEO and general manager David J Tudor said: “This agreement secures long-term, fixed and competitively priced renewable energy for our members, serving as a buffer against projected increases in fuel prices.

“With our experience managing significant amounts of wind power on our system, Clear Creek is a good fit for our power supply portfolio.”

The Tenaska Clear Creek project will make use of Associated’s transmission interconnections. It will feature 100 to 120 wind turbines, each of which can produce 2 to 3MW.

Currently, Vestas is expected to supply wind turbines and provide maintenance services for the project.

Construction of the facility is slated to begin in 2019 at an estimated cost of $200m to $300m.