Lincoln Clean Energy (LCE), the US unit of Danish energy group Orsted, will build a 230MW wind project in the state of Nebraska.
Lincoln issued a ‘final notice to proceed’ with its Plum Creek project in Wayne County after Orsted’s board approved a final investment decision.
“We're happy to announce that the Plum Creek facility has reached this important milestone that keeps us on target to achieve commercial operation by 2020,” said LCE chief executive Declan Flanagan.
“Plum Creek is an excellent addition to the growing LCE portfolio and expands our geographic footprint in the attractive Southwest Power Pool (SPP) market, which serves the central United States.”
The Nebraska project brings the developer’s pipeline of facilities under construction to 670MW as LCE also is building projects in Texas and South Dakota.
Lincoln Clean Energy only in July had bought a 103MW construction-ready project in South Dakota from US renewables company Pattern Energy.
Plum Creek is expected to be operational in 2020, and can count on long-term power purchase agreements with The J.M. Smucker Company, Vail Resorts and Avery Dennison Corporation.
Orsted late last year said it is prepared to use ‘underused’ balance sheet in the promising US market.
The Danish utility previously had bought Chicago-based LCE for more than $1bn, and Providence-based Deepwater Wind, a leader in the US offshore wind market.
