Dec 9 2013
First Wind, an independent U.S.-based renewable energy company, today announced that the company has reached an agreement with Burlington Electric Department (BED) to sell the utility power generated from the planned Hancock Wind project near Ellsworth, Maine.
First Wind will sell 25 percent of the power and renewable energy certificates (RECs) generated at the 54 megawatt (MW) wind farm for the next 10 years under a fixed-price agreement to the Vermont utility.
Barbara Grimes, general manager of BED, expressed her enthusiasm for the project. “BED has a goal of bringing more renewable power to its customers, and this contract will help us achieve that goal. Stably priced, clean, green and locally generated power is the way to keep our economy strong and our environment clean,” she said.
“We’re happy to help BED meet its renewable energy goals,” said Paul Gaynor, CEO of First Wind. “This project will help provide clean, renewable energy to Burlington ratepayers at a highly competitive cost, and the Hancock Wind project will deliver significant economic benefits throughout Down East Maine.”
BED is seeking to source 100 percent of its supply needs from renewable energy. The addition of the energy from the Hancock Wind project will bring the utility to 92 percent.
When built, the Hancock Wind project will feature 18 turbines with a capacity of 3 MW each, and it will be situated near the operating 34 MW Bull Hill Wind project in Hancock County, ME, which began operations in November 2012. The energy is being sold to BED at a cost-competitive price that will help to stabilize the utility’s rates over the 10 years of the contract, in addition to the renewable energy credits.
First Wind currently operates five wind projects in Maine and one in Sheffield, VT. Combined, the six projects generate enough electricity to power about 100,000 homes.
About First Wind
First Wind develops, finances, builds and operates utility-scale renewable energy projects throughout the United States. Based in Boston, First Wind currently operates wind power facilities in the Northeast, the West and Hawaii, with combined capacity of more than 1,000 megawatts (MW) – enough to power about 300,000 U.S. homes each year. For more information on First Wind visit: https://www.terraform.com/
About Burlington Electric Department
BED is the municipal utility of Burlington, VT, and provides all the electricity within the borders of Burlington and at Burlington International Airport. Sixty five percent of BED’s power comes from renewable energy. BED has been able to meet all the growth within the city since 1989 with energy efficiency. Please visit at www.burlingtonelectric.com and follow us on Twitter @burlingtonelec.
Source: https://www.terraform.com/