Almost all of the 3,224 MW of U.S. generating capacity completed in December 2017 is fueled by renewable resources, with wind contributing 2,238 MW and solar another 950 MW.
Among the 650 MW of new projects announced in December was a 250-MW gas-fired plant in Michigan that will replace an older, coal-fired plant now slated for retirement.

Completed projects
The largest completed project to begin operations in December was the 306-MW first phase of the Radford's Run and Lake Fork Wind Farms (Twin Forks) in Macon County, Ill. The facility also has a second 46-MW unit that is currently in the early development stage and expected to be completed in June 2019. There is no specific buyer for the output. The project's owner is E.ON SE subsidiary E.ON Climate & Renewables.

The second-largest project to come online is the 300-MW Red Dirt Wind Farm located in Kingfisher County, Okla. The project is operated by Enel Green Power North America and ownership is split between two other Enel entities, Enel SpA with 68.30% and Enel Green Power with 31.70%. The output is sold under two power purchase agreements which began in December 2017. The first PPA is with Oklahoma utility the Grand River Dam Authority for 140 MW. The second PPA is with T-Mobile US Inc. for 160 MW to help the telecommunications provider to make headway on its goal to source its power from 100% renewable energy by 2021.
Announced projects
The 300-MW Silverlake Wind Energy Center is the largest project to be announced in December 2017. Located in Reno County, Kan., the project is owned by NextEra Energy Inc. subsidiary NextEra Energy Resources LLC, and has an estimated construction cost of $585 million.

The second-largest announced project is the 250-MW Erickson Combined Cycle Project in Eaton County, Mich. Owned by the Lansing Board of Water & Light, an entity of the city of Lansing, Mich., the unit is set to be built at the site of the coal-fired Erickson power plant, in an effort to reduce the city's dependence on coal. The project has an estimated construction cost of $262.5 million, and is due to come online in 2021. The Erickson coal plant is scheduled to be retired by the end of 2025. Lansing also plans to retire its coal-fired Eckert Station by 2020.
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