TransAlta Corporation has achieved commercial operation of the combined 300 MW White Rock East and White Rock West wind facilities (White Rock) in Caddo County, Oklahoma.
The White Rock wind facilities are fully contracted to Amazon Energy and are currently supplying clean and affordable electricity to TransAlta customers. TransAlta’s portfolio in the US totals 820 MW in net operating renewable energy capacity.
“As I look ahead, we are nearing completion of our other Oklahoma wind project, which will add another 200 MW facility, increasing our US portfolio to more than 1 GW, another key milestone for our company,” said Mr. John Kousinioris, President and Chief Executive Officer of TransAlta.
White Rock includes a total of 51 Vestas wind turbines and is the first of the company’s two wind projects in Oklahoma to achieve commercial operations. The company entered a 10-year transfer agreement with an AA-rated customer to sell approximately 80% of the expected production tax credits (PTCs) generated from the White Rock wind facilities. The remaining PTCs are expected to be sold through spot transactions or contracted at a later date.
The project highlights include:
Long-term contracted revenues from Amazon
10-year transfer agreement of PTCs, which are subject to an annual inflation adjustment factor, with an AA-rated third-party customer
49 Vestas V162 6.0 MW and 2 Vestas V136 3.45 MW turbines: 119 meters and 105 meters in height with total rotor diameters of 162 meters and 136 meters, respectively
Estimated average annual adjusted EBITDA ranges between $53 and $57 million, including third-party sales of PTCs
TransAlta weighted-average contract life of renewables portfolio increased to 12 years
