Avangrid Renewables, LLC, a subsidiary of AVANGRID, Inc. (NYSE: AGR) completed commissioning of the 154.8 megawatt (MW) Tatanka Ridge Wind Farm on January 5, 2021. The facility’s 56 wind turbines are located in Deuel County, S.D., northeast of Brookings. The facility is owned by Tatanka Ridge Wind, LLC, which is jointly owned by Avangrid Renewables (15%) and WEC Energy Group (NYSE: WEC) (85%).
Dairyland Power Cooperative has a power purchase agreement with Tatanka Ridge Wind, LLC, for 51.6 MW of renewable energy. Dairyland’s portion of Tatanka Ridge’s output will deliver enough renewable energy to power approximately 16,000 homes. The balance of the project’s generation is contracted to a large commercial customer.
“Dairyland is pleased to work with Avangrid Renewables and WEC Energy Group on an efficient and sustainable facility that supports our transition to a lower carbon future,” said Brent Ridge, Dairyland President and CEO. “Diversification of resources is a key element of Dairyland’s Sustainable Generation Plan, making Tatanka Ridge a valuable addition to our cooperative’s renewable energy portfolio.”
Dairyland and Avangrid Renewables have collaborated twice before on wind energy facilities, Barton Wind (Kensett, Iowa) and Winnebago Wind (Thompson, Iowa).
“Avangrid Renewables has been pleased to work with Dairyland Power to make Tatanka Ridge a reality,” said Alejandro de Hoz, President and CEO of Avangrid Renewables. “Partners such as Dairyland have helped to build the wind industry in the Midwest and drive the transition to a clean energy future.”
Tatanka Ridge encompasses approximately 18,000 acres of primarily corn and soybean farms and cattle ranches, leased from over 100 landowners. Between land lease payments and taxes, the wind farm will provide $1.7 million of local economic benefits annually over the life of the project.
In July 2020, Avangrid Renewables announced the sale of an 85% ownership interest in Tatanka Ridge Wind, LLC, to WEC Energy Group of Milwaukee. This transaction closed in December 2020.
About Dairyland Power Cooperative: Dairyland, a Touchstone Energy Cooperative, was formed in December 1941. Headquartered in La Crosse, Wis., Dairyland provides the wholesale electrical requirements for 24 distribution cooperatives and 17 municipal utilities. These cooperatives and municipals, in turn, supply the energy needs of more than a half-million people in the four-state service area. Visit DairylandPower.com.
About Avangrid Renewables: Avangrid Renewables, LLC, is a subsidiary of AVANGRID, Inc., and part of the IBERDROLA Group. It is a leading renewable energy company in the United States, owning and operating a portfolio of renewable energy generation facilities. IBERDROLA, S.A., is an energy pioneer with the largest renewable asset base of any company in the world. Avangrid Renewables is headquartered in Portland, Oregon. Visit avangridrenewables.com.
About AVANGRID: AVANGRID, Inc. (NYSE: AGR) is a leading, sustainable energy company with approximately $36 billion in assets and operations in 24 U.S. states. With headquarters in Orange, Conn., AVANGRID has two primary lines of business: Avangrid Networks and Avangrid Renewables. Avangrid Networks owns eight electric and natural gas utilities, serving more than 3.3 million customers in New York and New England. Avangrid Renewables owns and operates a portfolio of renewable energy generation facilities across the United States. AVANGRID employs approximately 6,600 people. AVANGRID supports the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals and was named among the World’s Most Ethical Companies in 2019 and 2020 by the Ethisphere Institute. Visit avangrid.com.
About WEC Energy Group: WEC Energy Group (NYSE: WEC), based in Milwaukee, is one of the nation’s premier energy companies, serving 4.5 million customers in Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan and Minnesota. The company’s principal utilities are We Energies, Wisconsin Public Service, Peoples Gas, North Shore Gas, Michigan Gas Utilities, Minnesota Energy Resources and Upper Michigan Energy Resources. Another major subsidiary, We Power, designs, builds and owns electric generating plants. In addition, WEC Infrastructure LLC owns a growing fleet of renewable generation facilities in the Midwest. WEC Energy Group is a Fortune 500 company and a component of the S&P 500. The company has approximately 45,000 stockholders of record, 7,500 employees and $35 billion of assets.