E.ON is giving a strong commitment to the renewables market in the U.S. and currently strengthens its position in the areas of new build projects, Power Purchase Agreements and plant services.
The company just began the construction of its Radford’s Run Wind Farm in Macon County, Illinois. With 278 megawatt (MW) of installed capacity Radford’s Run will be the second largest wind farm in Illinois and already the third project E.ON is accomplishing in this state. E.ON invests close to 500 million US Dollar into Radford’s Run, formerly known as Twin Forks. The project is expected to be completed by the end of 2017. The wind farm can create enough electricity to power a city with approximately 90,000 homes. Danish turbine producer Vestas will supply 139 of its 2 MW turbines.
With a further long term contract E.ON secures the sale of its renewable energy to the market. Johnson & Johnson, the world’s biggest maker of health-care products, agreed to buy half of the output from E.ON’s 200 MW wind farm Colbeck’s Corner in the Texas Panhandle. The company signed a 12-year power purchase agreement. Colbeck’s Corner is expected to provide the equivalent of about 60 percent of Johnson & Johnson’s electricity consumption in the U.S., and 25 percent globally.
Digital Realty, a leading global provider of data center, colocation and interconnection solutions, also signed a long term clean energy agreement for using 400.000 megawatt hours of the power produced by Colbeck’s Corner annually. This is the equivalent to taking 58.000 cars off the street.
E.ON recently enlarged its renewables portfolio by plant services and entered successful into this market. Lincoln Clean Energy (LCE) selected E.ON Energy Services to provide asset management and balance of plant services for its Amazon Wind Farm Texas near Snyder, Texas. The 253 MW facility will sell 90 percent of the power generated to Amazon under a long-term contract.
The agreement with Lincoln Clean Energy is the latest in E.ON Energy Services’ portfolio. Last month, E.ON signed an agreement with Novatus Energy to manage four of its wind farms, totaling more than 700 MW across three different states. E.ON manages, owns or operates wind farms in seven states and in nearly every major Independent System Operator.