ALLETE to sell 100 megawatts of wind power to Oshkosh Corporation, Hormel Foods

New renewable energy sale agreements reached this week between ALLETE Clean Energy, the Oshkosh Corporation, and Hormel Foods will see a combined 100 MW of energy delivered from the Caddo wind site currently under construction in Oklahoma.

In total, Caddo’s approximately 110 turbines will offer 303 MW when finished. Located in southern Oklahoma’s Caddo County, it is expected to bring in $50 million in tax revenue, $54 million in payments to local landowners, and create 12 to 15 long-term operations jobs. It is expected to be operational by year’s end.

“We’re proud to work with two leading Upper Midwest corporations to help them achieve their sustainability goals with Caddo’s renewable energy,” Allan Rudeck Jr., ALLETE Clean Energy president, said. “Projects like Caddo help diversify and decarbonize the nation’s energy supply while strengthening local economies. We are grateful for our partnerships with landowners, communities, and lawmakers, who have together created a business environment in Oklahoma that encourages and enables 21st-century energy infrastructure investment.”

The Caddo project brings ALLETE’s total operating, under construction, and build-transfer wind energy projects to more than 1,450 MW of capacity. Development and construction are being finalized jointly with Apex Clean Energy, from which ALLETE purchased the site.

For Oshkosh, the sale agreement will help it to reach an internal goal of reducing normalized greenhouse gas emissions at its facilities by 25 percent by 2024, when measured against 2014 levels. Hormel intends to match 100 percent of its energy with renewable sourcing by 2030, and Caddo will help it reach 50 percent of that goal.

“This project is a great addition to our clean energy portfolio,” said Tom Raymond, director of environmental sustainability for Hormel Foods. “Using renewable sources like wind not only helps the environment, but it makes long-term financial sense, supports local communities, and demonstrates that we are committed to being good stewards to the planet.”