Duke Energy Sustainable Solutions begins work on Iowa wind project
Duke Energy Sustainable Solutions is building a 207-megawatt (MW) wind energy project in Kossuth County, Iowa, called Ledyard Windpower.
The company, a subsidiary of Duke Energy, entered into a 15-year virtual power purchase agreement (VPPA) with Verizon for 180 MW of the wind energy generated by Ledyard Windpower. This is Duke Energy Sustainable Solutions’ first renewable energy project in the state. The project, co-developed by Duke Energy Sustainable Solutions and Amshore Renewable Energy, will provide enough renewable energy to power the equivalent of more than 72,450 U.S. homes.
“We’re excited to enter into the Iowa market, a state that has valuable wind resources and is ranked second in wind energy generation,” Chris Fallon, president of Duke Energy Sustainable Solutions, said. “Ledyard Windpower will not only add cleaner energy and economic value to Kossuth County, but it will also contribute to Duke Energy’s goal of reaching 47,000 MW of renewable energy by 2050.”
Construction for the project began in August 2021 by Wanzek Construction. Also, Vestas will supply 46 Vestas V150 4.5-MW turbines for the project and Duke Energy Sustainable Solutions will perform the site’s long-term maintenance and operations. It is slated to be complete at the end of 2022. The project will create approximately 200 jobs during peak construction.
Once in operation, this project will increase the company’s U.S. wind capacity to over 3,100 MW. Overall, Duke Energy has more than 10,000 MW of solar and wind energy with a goal of reaching 16,000 MW of renewables by 2025 and 47,000 MW by 2050.
