WEC Energy Group plans to acquire a 90 per cent stake in the Jayhawk Wind Farm, which is to be built in Bourbon and Crawford counties, Kansas. The project is being developed by Apex Clean Energy, while Invenergy will acquire the remaining 10 per cent ownership interest and will operate the wind farm. The project is expected to commence operation by the end of 2021.
Jayhawk wind farm will comprise of 70 GE wind turbines with a combined capacity of more than 190 MW. Power generated by the Jayhawk project will be sold under long-term contract to Facebook. For the 90 per cent ownership interest, WEC is expected to invest about $302 million. This investment is part of the company’s $16 billion ESG Progress Plan which requires investment in efficiency, sustainability and growth.
WEC Energy Group based in Milwaukee, is an energy company serving 4.6 million customers in Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan and Minnesota. Recently, the WEC Energy Group also announced plans for a 310 MW solar and battery storage project. If approved, the Paris Solar-Battery Park in Kenosha County would be the largest facility of its kind in Wisconsin. The facility would feature 200 MW of solar generation which is equal to powering 60,000 homes, and 110 MW of battery storage which can store solar power and discharge it when the sun sets. The Paris Solar-Battery Park is part of the company’s plans to invest $2 billion in new solar, wind and battery storage projects by 2025.