RWE’s 250-MW Scioto Ridge Wind Farm in Ohio now operational
Last week, RWE Renewables said it has started commercial operation on its 250-MW onshore Scioto Ridge Wind Farm, located in Hardin and Logan Counties in Ohio.
The project uses 75 Siemens Gamesa turbines and represents RWE’s first wind project in Ohio.
“The ongoing transition to lower carbon technologies and a more diverse energy portfolio represents a significant economic development opportunity for our state,” said Stephanie Kromer, Director of Energy and Environmental Policy at the Ohio Chamber of Commerce. “We are excited for RWE’s successful completion of their first Ohio-based project of over $300 million and look forward to their continued cooperation.”
Ohio has enormous potential for future projects, as wind power provides less than two percent of the total electricity generation in the state. In addition Ohio has a long history of industrial manufacturing, including approximately 52 wind-related factories — the most of any single state in the U.S., according to RWE.
The U.S. accounts for more than one third of the RWE Group’s renewables capacity playing a key role in the company’s strategy to grow its renewables business and get to net zero by 2040. RWE constructs, owns and operates wind, solar and energy storage projects in the U.S.
In related news, RWE said it recently entered into a joint venture, New England Aqua Ventus, focused on floating offshore wind in the state of Maine.
Silvia Ortin, COO Onshore Wind and Solar PV Americas, RWE Renewables: “Scioto Ridge marks our successful entry in the Ohio market. The state’s location in the heartland of the U.S. offers ideal conditions for renewable energy and we are happy to bring this project online as part of our focus on the U.S. market.”
“We’re proud to be a member of the local community, contributing more than $75 million in new payments over the next 25 years to the local governments, school districts and landowners,” added Ortin. “We created approximately 250 construction jobs and will hire up to 10 full-time, long-term operations and maintenance people who will live and work in the area.”
Source: Renewable Energy