Enel breaks ground on $400m Diamond Vista wind farm in Kansas

Wind industry news : Italian energy company Enel has broken ground on the 300MW Diamond Vista wind farm near Salina in Kansas through Enel Green Power North America (EGPNA), its US renewable energy company.

The Diamond Vista wind project will be built with an investment of around $400 million in Marion and Dickinson Counties.

According to Enel, the new Kansas wind farm is likely to begin service by the year end. Once fully operational, the Diamond Vista wind farm will be capable of having an annual generation of nearly 1,300GWh.

The Diamond Vista wind project is owned by Enel Green Power Diamond Vista Wind Project, a subsidiary of EGPNA. The Kansas wind project was acquired by EGPNA from Tradewind Energy, Enel’s long-term strategic development partner.

Upon its completion, the Diamond Vista wind farm will take Enel’s operational capacity in Kansas to around 1,400MW.

Wind power project. Image courtesy of kongsky at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Commenting on the Diamond Vista wind farm, Antonio Cammisecra – Head of Enel’s Global Renewable Energies division, Enel Green Power, said:  “The start of construction of Diamond Vista, which follows a record year of growth in 2017 for Enel Green Power in the US, sends a strong message about our ability to deliver on the company’s commitment to further strengthen its renewable leadership.

“Furthermore, this project confirms us as a partner of choice for offtake customers who, like Enel, are committed to advancing a sustainable energy future. We are proud to be able to support their renewable goals through a cost-effective energy supply.”

The Diamond Vista wind project is supported by three power purchase agreements.

A 100MW portion of its capacity will be sold to Kohler, a global manufacturing company to provide wind energy for 15 years to its US and Canadian operations.

Rob Zimmerman, Director of Sustainability at Kohler, commenting on the power purchase agreement with Diamond Vista wind farm, said: “We are pleased to partner with the Diamond Vista Wind Project to play a leading role in reducing fossil fuel usage to power the U.S. electrical grid.

“This project is one component of a comprehensive strategy Kohler has created to achieve its overall goal of being ‘Net Zero’ in greenhouse gas emissions by 2035.  In addition to this investment, we will continue to drive energy efficiency in our manufacturing processes, buildings, and truck fleet; install onsite renewable energy projects; test and implement new manufacturing technologies; and develop new products and materials that require less energy to make.”

Another 100MW of the Diamond Vista wind farm will be sold to City Utilities of Springfield and an 84MW portion will be sold to Tri-County Electric Cooperative of Oklahoma under separate long-term power purchase agreements.