Press Releases
10/31/2019
Avangrid Renewables and Governor Shumlin Break Ground on Deerfield Wind Farm
Avangrid Renewables and Governor Shumlin Break Ground on Deerfield Wind Farm
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September 19, 2016
SEARSBURG, Vt. — Avangrid Renewables representatives, joined by Governor Shumlin and local elected officials, broke ground on the Deerfield Wind Farm today.
Once operational, Deerfield will produce enough energy each year to power around 14,000 average Vermont households with clean, renewable electricity. Avangrid Renewables signed a 25-year power purchase agreement for the project with Green Mountain Power in 2015.
“I am proud that since I took office we have increased solar by eleven times and wind generation by twenty times, and that we now have over 17,000 Vermonters working in clean energy jobs,” said Gov. Peter Shumlin. “I am also proud that we are making this progress even as we now have the second-lowest electric rates in New England, keeping more money in Vermonters’ pockets. Today we take another step to support the clean energy economy and fight climate change by breaking ground on the Deerfield wind project. This will reduce our region’s reliance on fossil fuels and adds wind power to a part of the grid in Vermont that is ready for it and needs it.”
The 30-megawatt (MW) project will include 15 Gamesa wind turbines and will be the first utility-scale project on U.S. Forest Service land in the country. Part of the project will be located near the existing Searsburg turbines and utilize shared roads to minimize the impact during construction.
“Avangrid Renewables is pleased to partner with the U.S. Forest Service, Green Mountain Power, and the local municipalities to bring more than $80 million of renewable energy investment into Vermont,” Avangrid Renewables executive Tim Seck said.
Deerfield is expected to become operational by the end of 2017.
“The Forest Service is very proud of the work that we have contributed through the planning and analysis phases of this project,” said John Sinclair, Forest Supervisor for the Green Mountain and Finger Lakes National Forests. “We look forward to our continued work with Avangrid and administering implementation of the project on the ground.”
The project has consistently received local support and representatives from the local select boards were also in attendance.
“This project is a welcomed renewable energy option that will be beneficial to Readsboro from a revenue standpoint of approximately $150,000 per year, and from an economic standpoint with job creation both during construction and operational and maintenance on a permanent basis,” said Rebecca Stone, a Readsboro town official.
Avangrid Renewables was formerly known as Iberdrola Renewables.
About AVANGRID: AVANGRID, Inc. (NYSE: AGR) is a diversified energy and utility company with more than $30 billion in assets and operations in 25 states. The company operates regulated utilities and electricity generation through two primary lines of business. Avangrid Networks includes eight electric and natural gas utilities, serving 3.1 million customers in New York and New England. Avangrid Renewables operates 6.3 gigawatts of electricity capacity, primarily through wind power, in states across the United States. AVANGRID employs 7,000 people. The company was formed by a merger between Iberdrola USA and UIL Holdings Corporation in 2015. IBERDROLA S.A. (Madrid: IBE), a worldwide leader in the energy industry, owns 81.5% of AVANGRID. For more information, visit www.avangrid.com.
About Avangrid Renewables: Avangrid Renewables, LLC is a subsidiary of AVANGRID, Inc. (NYSE: AGR) and the U.S. renewable energy division of parent company IBERDROLA, S.A., an energy pioneer with the largest renewable asset base of any company in the world. Avangrid Renewables, LLC is headquartered in Portland, Ore., and has more than $10 billion of operating assets totaling more than 6,000 MW of owned and controlled wind and solar generation in 19 U.S. states. For more information, visit www.avangridren.com.
Media Contacts
Art Sasse
Art.Sasse@avangrid.com
503.796.7740
Paul Copleman
Paul.Copleman@avangrid.com
207.641.2805
About Avangrid: Avangrid, Inc. (NYSE: AGR) aspires to be the leading sustainable energy company in the United States. Headquartered in Orange, CT with approximately $44 billion in assets and operations in 24 U.S. states, Avangrid has two primary lines of business: networks and renewables. Through its networks business, Avangrid owns and operates eight electric and natural gas utilities, serving more than 3.3 million customers in New York and New England. Through its renewables business, Avangrid owns and operates a portfolio of renewable energy generation facilities across the United States. Avangrid employs approximately 8,000 people and has been recognized by JUST Capital in 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024 as one of the JUST 100 companies – a ranking of America’s best corporate citizens. In 2024, Avangrid ranked first among utilities and 12 overall. The company supports the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals and was named among the World’s Most Ethical Companies in 2024 for the sixth consecutive year by the Ethisphere Institute. Avangrid is a member of the group of companies controlled by Iberdrola, S.A. For more information, visit www.avangrid.com.
About Iberdrola: Iberdrola is one of the world's biggest energy companies and a leader in renewables, spearheading the energy transition to a low carbon economy. The group supplies energy to almost 100 million people in dozens of countries. With a focus on renewable energy, smart networks and smart solutions for customers, Iberdrola’s main markets include Europe (Spain, the United Kingdom, Portugal, France, Germany, Italy and Greece), the United States, Brazil, Mexico and Australia. The company is also present in growth markets such as Japan, Taiwan, Ireland, Sweden and Poland, among others.
With a workforce of nearly 40,000 and assets in excess of €141.7 billion, across the world, Iberdrola helps to support 400,000 jobs across its supply chain, with annual procurement of €12.2 billion. A benchmark in the fight against climate change, Iberdrola has invested more than €130 billion over the past two decades to help build a sustainable energy model, based on sound environmental, social and governance (ESG) principles.