The Limon Wind Energy Center is a 600.6
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 ...
near the town of
Limon. It became the largest wind facility in the state when construction completed in 2014. 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 oper ...
under long-term
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 ...
s.
Facility details
The facility is located about 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 was constructed in three phases, and 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
Elbert County is a county located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population w ...
. About 45 miles (72 km) of 345 kV transmission line connect the wind farm substations 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.
Limon I and Limon II were constructed by Blattner Energy, and came on line in late 2012. The 400 MW facility consists of twin 200 MW projects, each using 125 – GE 1.6 MW wind turbines that occupy more than 55,000 acres. Two new substations were also constructed.
Limon III came into service in 2014 with an additional 200 MW of capacity. It consists of 118 – GE 1.7 MW wind turbines occupying over 49,600 acres. An approximately ten mile, 345 kV transmission line connects the Limon III substation to the Limon II substation.
NextEra Energy Resources
NextEra Energy Resources, LLC (NEER) is a wholesale electricity supplier based in Juno Beach, Florida. NEER is a subsidiary of NextEra Energy (), a Fortune 200 company. Prior to 2009, NextEra Energy Resources was known as FPL Energy.
NextEra ...
developed and financed, and continues to own and operate the facility.
Electricity production
(*) partial year of operation
See also
*
Wind power in Colorado
The US state of Colorado has vast wind energy resources and the installed electricity capacity and generation from wind power in Colorado has been growing significantly in recent years. The growth has been sustained due to a combination of falli ...
*
List of power stations in Colorado
This is a list of electric power generation stations in the U.S. State of Colorado, sorted by type and name. As of December 2022, Colorado has a total summer capacity of 18,084 MW through all of its power plants, and a year long net genera ...
*
List of wind farms in the United States
This is a list of large wind farms in the United States. Many of the wind farms in the United States are located in the Great Plains.
Onshore wind farms
Listed are wind farms with a generating capacity of at least 150 megawatts (MW) or any ...
External links
VIDEO: NextEra Energy Resources -- Limon Wind Energy Center
References
{{Wind power in the United States
Energy infrastructure completed in 2012
Energy infrastructure completed in 2014
Wind farms in Colorado
Buildings and structures in Lincoln County, Colorado
Buildings and structures in Elbert County, Colorado
Buildings and structures in Arapahoe County, Colorado
NextEra Energy