Duke Energy Sustainable Solutions Inks 180-MW Virtual Power Purchase Agreement With Verizon

(RTTNews) - Duke Energy Sustainable Solutions (DESS), a nonregulated commercial brand of Duke Energy (DUK), announced Wednesday it has placed the 207-megawatt (MW) Ledyard Windpower project into commercial operation in Kossuth County, Iowa.

Verizon Communications is supporting the project through a 15-year virtual power purchase agreement (VPPA) for 180 MW of power from the Ledyard project.

This is DESS's first project in the state, providing enough renewable capacity to power the equivalent of 75,000 U.S. homes. It consists of 46 Vestas V150 4.5-MW turbines. Duke Energy Sustainable Solutions is responsible for the site's long-term maintenance and operations.

Ledyard Windpower created about 200 jobs during peak construction. The 12,000-acre agricultural site will continue to be used by farmers. Ledyard Windpower was co-developed by Duke Energy Sustainable Solutions and Amshore Renewable Energy.