US utilities increasingly building their own wind farms

For US wind developers, Xcel Energy has been the ultimate customer — buying more than 5GW of wind power, more than any other US utility. But in September, the Minnesota-based company announced plans to build a 600MW project in Colorado, saying it will increasingly prefer to own wind farms, rather than buying from independent power producers (IPPs).

And it’s not alone, with other regulated utilities like Alliant Energy and MidAmerican also transforming into major wind owners.

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