Major wind farm in Missouri goes online

The Tenaska Clear Creek wind farm in northwest Missouri is fully operational as of May 4.

The facility – which generates 242-megawatt (MW) of wind power – is located north of Maryville in Nodaway County. The facility is comprised of 111 Vestas turbines across approximately 31,000 acres.

“This project was a team effort that involved not just Tenaska but also a number of landowners, community leaders, and contractors. For us all to come together and bring online this safe and efficient wind farm, that is quite an accomplishment,” Tenaska CEO and Vice Chairman Jerry Crouse said. “The team achieved many milestones to get here, and we are excited that Tenaska Clear Creek has reached its goal: commercial operation and delivering renewable power to Associated Electric Cooperative.”

The wind farm produces renewable energy under a 25-year power purchase agreement with Associated Electric Cooperative Inc., an electric generation and transmission cooperative based in Springfield, Mo. The cooperative provides wholesale power to carious regional cooperatives, including NW Electric Power Cooperative of Cameron, Mo, and 51 local cooperative systems in Missouri, southeast Iowa, and northeast Oklahoma.

“Clear Creek helps us advance Associated’s strategy to deliver reliable, affordable, and responsible power to our member-owners,” David Tudor, Associated CEO and general manager, said. “Power from this resource contributes to our diverse and balanced energy mix and helps ensure we can continue to deliver benefits to our members.”

Tenaska is an energy company based in Omaha, Neb. The wind farm is owned by a subsidiary, Tenaska Clear Creek Wind, which is comprised of affiliates of Tenaska and Bright Canyon Energy.

“We invested in this wind farm to gain operational experience with wind, and we could not have found a better partner for our first undertaking than Tenaska, a company that brings to the table innovation, commitment and rigor,” Bright Canyon General Manager Jason Smith said. “Clear Creek will provide clean energy to customers in the Midwest for years to come and serve as a model resource to make America’s energy mix more and more green through the coming decades. We are proud to be a part of that effort.”

Tenaska owns and operates 8,200 MW of generating facilities across the United States. Tenaska is also managing the construction of the 250-MW Nobles 2 Power Partners wind farm in southwest Minnesota, which is anticipated to be online by the end of 2020. The company’s development pipeline includes 7,000 MW of renewables projects.