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More than one-third of US Q4'17 wind additions were in Texas

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More than one-third of US Q4'17 wind additions were in Texas

During the last quarter of 2017, 3,799 MW of wind capacity came online in the U.S., mostly in two states.

According to an S&P Global Market Intelligence analysis, another 75,250 MW of wind capacity in various stages of development are scheduled to be completed through 2023.

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Together, Texas and Oklahoma combined for over half of the capacity additions during the fourth quarter. Seven projects with a combined 1,329 MW became operational in Texas, and another three projects totaling 753 MW were completed in Oklahoma.

Phase 1 at E.ON SE's Radford’s Run and Lake Fork Wind Farms (Twin Forks) in Macon County, Ill., was the largest addition by generating capacity during the quarter, at 306 MW. The project phase, which includes 139 turbines, came online in December 2017. The project's second phase, which totals 46 MW, is slated to begin operating in June 2019. The output will be sold into the PJM Interconnection market.

The second-largest addition by generating capacity was the 300-MW Red Dirt Wind Farm in Kingfisher County, Okla. The facility, which is owned by Enel SpA and its affiliate Enel Green Power consists of 100 wind turbines. The output is committed under power purchase agreements with Oklahoma utility the Grand River Dam Authority for 140 MW and telecommunications provider T-Mobile US Inc. for 160 MW.

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During the fourth quarter, companies announced plans to build another 627 MW of wind capacity.

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The largest project announced during the period was the 302-MW Dakota Range Wind III & IV in South Dakota, being developed by Apex Clean Energy. It is projected to come online by 2020.

The Silverlake Wind Energy Center was the second-largest project by capacity announced during the fourth quarter, at 300 MW. The facility is owned by NextEra Energy Inc. and will be installed in Reno County, Kan.

As of March 1, more than 75,000 MW of wind capacity was scheduled to come online in the U.S. through 2023. Of that, 4,968 MW, or 7%, was under construction while 10,699 MW, or 14%, was in advanced development. S&P Global Market Intelligence considers a wind project to be in advanced development when two of the following five criteria are met: financing is in place, a power purchase agreement is signed, turbines are secured, required permits are approved or a contractor has signed on to the project.

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An additional 17,136 MW of capacity is scheduled to come online in 2018. Of this, 26% is already under construction, while 12% is in advanced development.

The four phases of the Chokecherry and Sierra Madre Wind Energy Project in Carbon County, Wyo., which total 3,000 MW, continue to top the list of projects in the advanced stages of development. The project, which is owned by Anschutz Corp., is scheduled to be fully operational by the end of 2023, though there is no dedicated buyer for any of the project's output.

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Texas has the most capacity under construction, totaling 1,938 MW. This includes the 498-MW Goodnight Wind Energy in Armstrong County. The facility, which is owned by private developer Tri Global Energy LLC, is scheduled to come online this year.

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