MG2 Tribal Energy, a joint venture between Mesa Grande Band of Mission Indians and Geronimo Energy, has announced that the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) has entered into a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) to purchase 140-MW of clean wind energy from the Walnut Ridge Wind Farm in western Illinois. The PPA was reached through a competitive public Request for Proposal process and marks the largest U.S. Federal Government wind energy contract signed in U.S. history.
Currently, the Walnut Ridge Wind Farm is under development with approximately 14,500 acres and up to 225-MW in the total projected footprint. The PPA is estimated to produce nearly 500GWh of power annually, which would eliminate about 499,973 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions annually.
"As part of GSA's commitment to greening the federal government, we are working to ensure that we don't just use energy but create it as well," said GSA Administrator, Dan Tangherlini. "This project will add to the power grid in a sustainable way and ensure that we become less dependent on fossil fuels. We are proud of our progress toward meeting the federal government's renewable energy goals, and look forward to taking advantage of future opportunities that will help us with this effort."
The contract is projected to bring an estimated $47 million of direct economic impact to the area over 20 years.
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