Cedar Point Wind Farm is a 252.3
megawatt
The watt (symbol: W) is the unit of Power (physics), power or radiant flux in the International System of Units, International System of Units (SI), equal to 1 joule per second or 1 kg⋅m2⋅s−3. It is used to quantification (science), ...
(MW) wind farm in eastern
Colorado
Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...
, United States, north of the town of
Limon. It was the second largest wind facility in the state when it was completed in 2011. The electricity is being sold to
Xcel Energy
Xcel Energy Inc. is an American utility holding company based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, serving more than 3.7 million electric customers and 2.1 million natural gas customers in Colorado, Texas, and New Mexico in 2019. It consists of four ope ...
under a 20-year
power purchase agreement
A power purchase agreement (PPA), or electricity power agreement, is a contract between two parties, one which generates electricity (the seller) and one which is looking to purchase electricity (the buyer). The PPA defines all of the commercial te ...
.
Facility details
The facility is located on about 20,000 acres of leased private land 80 miles east of
Denver
Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...
. It extends across western
Lincoln County and crosses a few miles into
Elbert County Elbert County is the name of two counties in the United States:
* Elbert County, Colorado
* Elbert County, Georgia
{{Geodis, uscounty ...
. 42 miles of new overhead transmission line carry the electricity to the Xcel Energy substation near
Deer Trail
The Town of Deer Trail is a Statutory Town located in eastern Arapahoe County, Colorado, United States. The town population was 1,068 at the 2020 United States Census, a +95.60% increase since the 2010 United States Census. Deer Trail is a part ...
in
Arapahoe County.
Renewable Energy Systems
The RES Group (Renewable Energy Systems) is a global renewable energy company which has been active in the renewable energy industry for over 30 years. Its core business is to develop, construct and operate large-scale, grid-connected renewable ...
developed and constructed the project. Numerous turbine components were produced at
Vestas
Vestas Wind Systems A/S is a Danish manufacturer, seller, installer, and servicer of wind turbines that was founded in 1945. The company operates manufacturing plants in Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Taiwan, India, Italy, Romania, the Uni ...
' manufacturing facilities in Colorado. Construction began in August 2010 and completed in September 2011, employing about 365 workers. The construction included 139 - 1.8 MW Vestas turbines, two substations, one operations and maintenance building, and transmission lines. The facility is owned and operated by
Enbridge
Enbridge Inc. is a multinational pipeline and energy company headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Enbridge owns and operates pipelines throughout Canada and the United States, transporting crude oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids. ...
, employing about 12 permanent workers. It generates enough electricity to meet the needs of about 80,000 Colorado homes.
Electricity production
(*) partial year of operation
See also
*
Wind power in the United States
Wind power is a branch of the energy industry that has expanded quickly in the United States over the last several years. From January through December 2021, 379.8 terawatt-hours were generated by wind power, or 9.23% of electricity in the ...
*
Wind power in Colorado
*
List of onshore wind farms
This is a list of the largest onshore wind farms that are currently operational, rated by generating capacity. Also listed are onshore wind farms with notability other than size, and largest proposed projects.
Largest operational onshore wind ...
References
Energy infrastructure completed in 2011
Wind farms in Colorado
Buildings and structures in Lincoln County, Colorado
{{renewable-power-plant-stub