Wind Energy: Hereford Wind Farm Phase One Sold; Transmission Line Expansion in Oklahoma and Kansas

EDF Renewable Energy agreed to buy the 200MW first phase of the Hereford Wind Project according to a recent ReNews article.  The purchase includes an option on the 300MW second phase. 

The 15,000 acre Hereford Wind Project is located southeast of Hereford, Texas in Deaf Smith County.  It interconnects to Competitive Renewable Energy Zone (CREZ) transmission lines, which move the energy generated in the Panhandle to areas with high electrical demands. 

A piece in EcoSeed said EDF Renewable Energy is an United States subsidiary of EDF Energies Nouvelles, the renewable division of French electric company, Électricité de France.  EDF Energies Nouvelles also closed a deal on a wind farm in Quebec.

NewsOK reported Clean Energy Partners is constructing a direct-current line from Guymon, Oklahoma to Memphis, Tennessee.  Michael Skelly is the president of Clean Line Energy Partners.  He said the Oklahoma Panhandle is, “one of the mother lodes of wind in this country.”  Construction on the $2 billion dollar project could begin in 2015.

North American Wind Power reported Grain Belt Express Clean Line has proposed a direct-transmission line from the Spearville, Kansas substation in Ford County to the Kansas/Missouri border.  The Kansas Corporation Commission is considering the proposed route.  A series of meetings will be held to gather public comment.  Grain Belt Express Clean Line LLC is an affiliate of Clean Line Energy Partners.