Press Releases
10/31/2019
PPM announces 150 MW Kansas wind farm
PPM announces 150 MW Kansas wind farm
Click Here for a PDF version of this press release.
December 14, 2004
PORTLAND, Ore. – PPM Energy, Inc. (PPM), ScottishPower’s (NYSE: SPI) competitive US energy business, today announced that it will build and own the 150-megawatt Elk River Wind Power Project located in Butler County, Kansas, near Beaumont. The Empire District Electric Company (NYSE:EDE) has signed a 20-year contract with PPM to purchase the energy generated at the Elk River project, developed by Greenlight Energy, Inc. of Charlottesville, Virginia.
In making the announcement, Brad Beecher, Vice President – Energy Supply, stated, "Today's contract signing is a major step in ensuring our customers benefit from a balanced mix of generation options. With the improvements that have been made in wind generation technology and the production tax credits that were recently enacted by Congress and signed into law by President Bush, wind energy provides price stability, is environmentally friendly, and is economical for our customers."
"We are pleased to be building our first wind power plant in Kansas, the state with the third most robust wind resource in the nation," said Terry Hudgens, Chief Executive Officer of PPM. "The Elk River Project is the third we have announced so far that is expected to go into commercial operation in 2005 and we look forward to additional growth and geographic expansion in 2005."
Based in Joplin, Missouri, The Empire District Electric Company is an investor-owned utility providing electric service to approximately 157,000 customers in southwest Missouri, southeast Kansas, northeast Oklahoma, and northwest Arkansas. The Company also provides fiber optic and Internet services, customer information software services, utility industry technical training, and has an investment in close-tolerance, custom manufacturing. Empire provides water service in three incorporated communities in Missouri.
Portland, Oregon-based PPM Energy is part of the ScottishPower group of companies. With a portfolio of more than 830 MW of wind power currently in operation in seven states, PPM Energy has a goal of bringing 2,300 MW of new wind power to market by 2010. PPM Energy balances its supply portfolio with sales to wholesale customers, placing almost all of its output in long-term contracts. Major customers include the federal Bonneville Power Administration, the cities of Seattle, Sacramento, Pasadena, Anaheim, investor-owned utilities such as Alliant Energy and Xcel Energy and cooperatives such as Minnesota’s Great River Energy. PPM Energy also has about 800 megawatts of clean gas resources under its control to give customers a wide range of options for adding environmentally responsible energy to their portfolios. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Department of Energy, and the Center for Resource Solutions honored PPM recently for significantly advancing development of the green power market.
Contact:
Art Sasse, Director, Communications & Brand, Iberdrola Renewables, 503-796-7740
Paul Copleman, Media Relations, Iberdrola Renewables, 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.
