Western Trail wind project : Ørsted signs PPA with steel manufacturer Nucor

Nucor, a US steel manufacturer, has agreed to purchase the power generated by the 367MW Western Trail wind project being constructed by Ørsted in Wilbarger County, Texas.

Ørsted has now two power purchase agreements (PPAs) for underpinning the Texan wind farm. Earlier, it had signed a PPA with soft drinks giant PepsiCo.

Leon Topalian – President and CEO of Nucor said: “As one of the most sustainable steelmakers in the world, we’re excited to support the Western Trail wind project, which will help us in our efforts to shrink our climate footprint even further beyond our operations.

“We’re also proud that Nucor steel is being used to build this wind farm. It only makes sense to use recycled steel to build our renewable energy infrastructure.”

Ørsted signs PPA with Nucor for the 367MW Western Trail wind project. Photo courtesy of Ørsted A/S.

The Western Trail wind project, which will be powered by 130 GE 2.8MW turbines, is due to begin commercial operations this year.

According to Ørsted, the Texan wind farm will offer long-term financial returns through increased property tax to the community in Wilbarger County and also to three independent school districts. The Western Trail wind project is located near the Danish energy company’s Lockett Wind project.

Vishal Kapadia – Senior Vice President and Onshore Chief Commercial Officer at Ørsted said: “Western Trail will utilize Nucor steel, demonstrating our ability to develop multilateral supply chain relationships.

“It’s great to partner with Nucor in their efforts to improve the environmental sustainability in the steel industry.”