Xcel Energy’s plans for new projects get a boost

The North Dakota Public Service Commission has given its approval for Xcel Energy’s 150 MW Merricourt Wind project in southeastern North Dakota. This project is scheduled to be operational by 2011. The approval means Xcel Energy can now add 351 megawatts of wind power to its portfolio. The electricity and natural gas company has already received approval for the 201 MW Nobles Wind Project in southwestern Minnesota’s Nobles County. enXco, an EDF Energies Nouvelles Company, which is developing both the projects, will seek site permits from the respective Commissions in Minnesota and North Dakota.

Feasible area for offshore wind identified in Great Lakes

A report has indicated that 7,874 square miles of the 38,000 square miles of state-owned Great Lakes bottomlands is feasible for offshore wind development. The report, released by the Michigan Great Lakes Wind Council, highlighted that this 20% of the area has a depth of 30 meters or less. Almost 537 square miles are considered to be most favourable for the sustainable development of offshore wind energy.

E.ON completes 458MW wind farm project

Renewable energy major E.ON has completed its 458 MW Panther Creek wind farm located in Big Spring, Texas, US. It consists of 305 turbines and can generate enough power to supply 135,000 Texan homes. The first two phases of the wind farm became operational in the first quarter 2009.

Nexans bags contract worth €39 million

Cabling solutions provider Nexans has won a €39 million contract to supply subsea power export cables for phase I of the Belgian Belwind Offshore Windfarm project. Nexans will supply and install 52km of 170kV high voltage power export cable. The optical fibre elements will be manufactured at Nexans’ factory at Rognan, Norway. Cable will be laid by Nexans’ cable-laying vessel C/S Nexans Skagerrak and buried into the seabed using Nexans’ CapJet trenching system. Delivery is scheduled for the summer of 2010. The wind power plant consists of 55 units of Vestas’ V90-3.0 MW wind turbine and will be located 46 km off the coast of Zeebrugge.

Iberdola benefits from ARRA in the US

Iberdrola Renewables has received approval for five grants totaling $294,889,003, authorised under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act in lieu of renewable energy production tax credits. These grants, approved by the US Treasury Department for new wind energy projects in four states, represent investment by Iberdrola of approximately $1 billion in US wind power. Projects are Peñascal Wind Project, Texas; Moraine II Wind Project, Minnesota; Locust Ridge II Wind Project, Pennsylvania; and Hay Canyon and Pebble Springs Wind Projects, Oregon.

Wind farm plans opposed

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) has opposed setting up of a wind farm in Delaware Bay. The Department has cited potential threats to migratory birds and other resources as the major reasons. In March this year, Delsea Energy, based in Toms River, had filed initial permit applications with the NJDEP and the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). The initial permits would authorise installation of a data collection and monitoring station in the Delaware Bay. This station is the first phase of a project that will ultimately include around 100 wind turbines in the Nearshore or shallow waters of the upper Delaware Bay.

Plans for remote offshore wind farm move forward

ECN, RWE Offshore Wind, Eneco, TenneT, Ballast Nedam, Van Oord, IHC Merwede, 2-B Energy, XEMC Darwind and TU Delft are planning to develop a large-scale remote offshore wind energy farm, Far and Large Offshore Wind. The initial plan, which comprises both an R&D programme and a demonstration wind farm far off the Dutch coast, has been presented by Hans de Boer, member of Innovation Platform, to Minister of Economic Affairs Van der Hoeven.

Deepwater Wind conducts environment studies

Deepwater Wind is conducting environmental studies on and around Block Island, Rhode Island, as part of its preparations for a proposed Block Island offshore wind farm. Oceanographic and meteorological surveys have been taking place through an avian radar system at Southeast Light that continues to collect data.

Nexans launches new offering for harsh environments

Cabling solutions provider Nexans has launched a new iSwitch G 1043E, an intelligent Fast/Gigabit Ethernet switch system for harsh environment applications.  It can facilitate multiple applications such as monitoring, service telephone, camera surveillance, diagnostics of rotor blades, access control, etc. via just one optical fibre.