Alabama Power buys electricity from Buffalo Dunes wind farm, Kansas

The Alabama Public Service Commission has approved the purchase of electricity from Buffalo Dunes Wind Project by electricity supplier Alabama Power.

American wind project developer TradeWind Energy will supply power from its Buffalo Dunes Wind farm in Kansas, which is expected to begin power generation by 2014.

This agreement is the second deal with TradeWind, rendering Alabama Power among the major energy from wind purchasers among Southeast utilities.

Previously, Alabama Power purchased electricity from the Chisholm View Wind Project, located in Grant and Garfield counties in Oklahoma.

Together both projects will supply 404 megawatts of electricity under a twenty-year contract.

Chisholm View Wind Project is projected to commence operations in December 2012.

With the contracts, Alabama Power can utilize the resultant energy and renewable energy credits as part of its service.

Alabama Power resource planning director John Kelley remarked, "We’re always looking for environmentally friendly ways to produce and obtain rights to reliable, cost-effective electricity. These two agreements represent a win-win for the company and the people we serve."

Built across 20,000 acres, the Chisholm View wind farm has the capacity to generate 200-300MW of energy.

Alabama Power Environmental Affairs vice president Matt Bowden commented in an earlier press release saying that the projects benefit both the environment and the company’s customers.

"This agreement not only boosts our use of renewable energy, it also provides real savings for our customers," he said.