U.S. companies Tenaska and Bright Canyon Energy have started commercial operations at a 242MW wind farm in northwest Missouri. The Clear Creek Energy Center comprises 111 Vestas turbines spread across 12,545 hectares north of Maryville in Nodaway County.
Electricity produced by Clear Creek will be supplied to Associated Electric Cooperative under a 25-year power purchase agreement. Associated Electric Cooperative provides wholesale power to six regional cooperatives, including NW Electric Power Cooperative, and 51 local cooperative systems in Missouri, southeast Iowa and northeast Oklahoma that serve 910,000 members.
The wind farm is owned by Tenaska Clear Creek Wind, which is comprised of affiliates of Tenaska and Bright Canyon Energy. Tenaska said construction of Clear Creek represented an investment of more than $300m in the regional economy. A team of 16 local employees staffed through NAES Corporation and Vestas is operating the wind farm.
Mortenson hired 350 craft workers from the local area and approximately $30m in contracts were awarded to regional businesses. About 160 landowners have long-term leases with Clear Creek, which is estimated to result in more than $1.2m in lease payments each year.
The wind farm is also expected to generate more than $1.2m in tax revenue annually for local units of government.