WAYNE, Neb., July 27, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- State and local
leaders and landowners joined executives from NextEra Energy
Resources, a subsidiary of NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE: NEE), and
Omaha Power Public District (OPPD) to break ground on Nebraska's newest renewable energy project –
the Sholes Wind Energy Center. The project will create hundreds of
construction jobs as well as millions of dollars in economic
benefits for the region.
"This project represents a more than $200
million investment in Nebraska," said Armando Pimentel, president and chief executive
officer of NextEra Energy Resources, the world's largest generator
of renewable energy from the wind and the sun. "We are pleased to
partner with OPPD to bring low-cost, renewable energy to their
customers, and for the tremendous support we have received from the
community of Wayne and
Stanton Counties, many of whom
stand to benefit from the project for years to come."
The Sholes Wind Energy Center will feature 71 GE wind turbines
designed to pivot to capture the prevailing wind and convert it to
clean, renewable electricity. Together, they have a generating
capacity of nearly 160 megawatts. An affiliate of NextEra Energy
Resources will build, own and operate the project. The energy will
serve customers of OPPD through a 20-year power purchase
agreement.
Wind energy represents a clean, renewable source of energy that
creates no greenhouse gases or other air pollutants, uses no water
resources to generate electricity and creates no waste
by-products.
"The inclusion of the Sholes wind farm in OPPD's generation
portfolio not only helps us reach our renewables commitments, but
will also have a positive economic impact on the surrounding area,"
said Timothy J. Burke, president and
chief executive officer of Omaha Public Power District. "We look
forward to working with NextEra Energy Resources to provide
environmentally sensitive electricity to our public power
customer-owners."
The Sholes Wind Energy Center will provide a significant
economic boost for Wayne and
Stanton Counties, creating
approximately 200 jobs during the construction phase this year, and
up to 10 full-time jobs to support the project once it becomes
operational in December 2018. The
project is expected to provide more than $30
million in property taxes to Wayne and Stanton Counties over its first 30 years of
operation, and approximately $40
million in payments to local landowners.
"We are thrilled to see the Sholes Wind Energy Center being
built in Wayne County," said
Luke Virgil, executive director,
Wayne Area Economic Development. "We believe the project will
generate more than just renewable electricity. We believe it will
create great jobs, provide new income for landowners, and establish
collaborative partnerships between various entities, which should
generate long-term stability in the area. Further, the project
creates new revenue streams for the county and area schools, which
may help to ease the increasing burden of property taxes on
landowners."
In addition to the aforementioned project benefits, NextEra
Energy Resources has pledged to sponsor tours of the Nebraska State
Capitol for all fourth grade students in Wayne and Stanton Counties, for the operational life of
the Sholes Wind Energy Center. The company was a lead-sponsor of
the Nebraska Experience for Fourth Graders, an initiative during
the Nebraska 150 Celebration in
2017.
NextEra Energy Resources
About NextEra Energy
Resources
NextEra Energy Resources, LLC (together with its affiliated
entities, "NextEra Energy Resources"), is a clean energy leader and
is one of the largest wholesale generators of electric power in the
U.S., with more than 19,000 megawatts of net generating capacity,
primarily in 32 states and Canada
as of year-end 2017. NextEra Energy Resources, together with its
affiliated entities, is the world's largest operator of renewable
energy from the wind and sun. The business operates clean,
emissions-free nuclear power generation facilities in New Hampshire, Iowa and Wisconsin as part of the NextEra Energy
nuclear fleet, which is one of the largest in the United States. NextEra Energy Resources,
LLC is a subsidiary of Juno Beach,
Florida-based NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE: NEE). For more
information, visit www.NextEraEnergyResources.com.
Omaha Public Power District
About Omaha Public Power
District
OPPD is a public power utility in operation since 1946.
Headquartered in Omaha, Neb., OPPD
serves 833,000 people in a 13-county, 5,000-square-mile area of
eastern Nebraska. Nebraska is the only state in the country
where residents are served entirely by public power utilities,
which are governed by locally elected boards of directors. The
addition of the Sholes Wind Energy Center will bring OPPD close to
having 40% of its generation come from renewable resources.
OPPD is the 12th largest public power utility in the United States based on number of
customers. For more information, visit www.OPPD.com.
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SOURCE NextEra Energy Resources, LLC