Black Hills Energy selects Vestas to supply turbines for Busch Ranch II wind project
Black Hills Generation Group recently announced that it contracted with Vestas to supply and commission wind turbines for the new 60-megawatt (MW) Busch Ranch II wind project in Southeastern Colorado.
The project will consist of 27 Vestas wind turbines, components of which will be manufactured at Vestas’ Colorado factories. Tower sections will be built at Vestas’ Pueblo campus, which is the largest wind turbine tower factory in the world.
Once Busch Ranch II is integrated into the Southern Colorado grid, renewable energy will provide more than 30 percent of Black Hills’ energy supply, meeting the requirements of Colorado’s Renewable Energy Standard, Black Hills said. The company estimates that the project will provide customers with an estimated $240 million in savings over 25 years.
“Our Southern Colorado system is one of the cleanest in the state, powered entirely by renewables and natural gas with zero percent coal-fired generation, and we’re excited to partner with Vestas to provide customers and the region with even more clean energy,” Vance Crocker, Black Hills’ vice president of electric operations in Southern Colorado, said. “When given the opportunity, we seek partnership with local businesses and suppliers to boost local economic development efforts and fortify Southern Colorado as a leader in renewable energy.”
The Busch Ranch II wind project will be constructed near the Busch Ranch I wind project in Southeastern Colorado, which also includes Vestas equipment. Deliveries are expected to start in the third quarter of 2019, and construction is targeted for completion by the end of the year.
