http://www.newenergyworldnetwork.com/renewable-energy-news/by-technology/wind/detroit-edison-increases-renewable-energy-generation-portfolio-to-four-per-cent-following-invenergy-wind-deal.html

The largest renewable energy purchase to date by US utility Detroit Edison will set in motion a 20-year agreement with Invenergy Wind and bring its total renewable energy generation to four per cent of its portfolio.

The arrangement will see 200MW of wind power installed in the US state of Michigan and has received approval from the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC).
The agreement, which represents a $1.1bn commitment to renewable energy by Detroit Edison, paves the way for Invenergy Wind to install and operate a 30,000-acre wind farm near Breckenridge in Gratiot County.
Slated to be the largest wind farm in the state, the new project will host 125 of General Electric’s 1.6MW wind turbines that are expected to be operational by late 2011 after a year of construction.
‘This contract represents a large step in Detroit Edison’s growing renewable energy portfolio,’ said Steve Kurmas, Detroit Edison president and COO.
‘Just as important are the economic development ramifications and building the state’s renewable
energy industry.’
Detroit Edison said the contract with Invenergy Wind is one of many agreements it expects to sign in the coming months and years to provide renewable energy to its customers.
The contract provides Detroit Edison with an option to buy a portion of the project once it is complete and still retain the right to purchase power from the entire project.
As the utility still requires about 1,200MW of renewable energy capacity to meet the state’s Renewable Portfolio Standard, it plans to buy renewable energy projects to meet half this requirement and contract the rest out to third-party power producers.
Anticipating that most of its renewable energy requirement will derive from wind resources, Detroit Edison has acquired land rights to nearly 80,000 acres of land in Huron County in Michigan’s Thumb region for development of large-scale wind projects.
The company said the recent approval by the Midwest Independent System Operator to expand the transmission system in the Thumb will provide the necessary infrastructure for future wind projects.
It has also implemented two solar energy pilot programmes that could produce about 20MW of electricity.
Detroit Edison is a subsidiary of DTE Energy and is an investor-owned electric utility serving 2.1 million customers in south-east Michigan.