LES To Purchase Wind Energy From Prairie Breeze II

A buyer for wind energy to be produced by Prairie Breeeze II has been announced.
Lincoln Electric System (LES) announced Friday morning it has finalized power purchase agreements to add 173 megawatts of wind energy and 5 megawatts of solar photovoltaic energy to its power supply resource portfolio by 2016.
Lincoln Mayor Chris Beutler and Kevin Wailes, administrator & CEO of Lincoln Electric System, made the announcements. In addition to being environmentally friendly, the projects will also save customers money. “When viewed as a package, our wind and solar contracts are expected to save LES customer-owners approximately $429 million over the next 25 years,” said Wailes.
According to LES, the wind additions are spread across two wind contracts secured with the same developer, Invenergy, and involve the 73 megawatt Prairie Breeze II Wind Energy Center, to be constructed north and east of Elgin later this year, and 100 megawatt Buckeye Wind Energy Center located in north-central Kansas.
“We’ve been working with landowners in the Neligh area since 2010, and have been delighted with their interest in hosting wind turbines,” James Williams, Senior Manager, Business Development, said Monday afternoon. “More recently, we established our Neligh office as part of our area development plans.  It provides a central location where Invenergy representatives can meet with folks who currently are project landowners, as well as those interested in participating in the Prairie Breeze II Wind Energy Center or a separate, early-development stage wind project, which would be sited north and east of Neligh.”
The new project is not connected in any way to the LES/Prairie Breeze II agreement.
“We look forward to providing the community with further project updates in the future, and to creating a new source of clean, homegrown energy in Nebraska,” he said.
A project schedule for construction of the wind farm has yet to be announced. However, officials with Invenergy have indicated they expect the project to be completed by the end of 2015.
On October 7, the Antelope County Board of Supervisors approved a conditional use permit necessary for the construction of the wind farm to be located east of Elgin.
When completed, PB II will consist of 41 wind turbines which will generate 73 MW. During the construction phase, there will be an estimated 90 jobs created.
Prairie Breeze II is expected to add seven permanent full-time jobs at the operations/maintenance building in Elgin.