T-Mobile wants juice from newly operational wind park in Illinois

Wireless network operator T-Mobile US Inc (NASDAQ:TMUS) will be buying power from a 158-MW wind farm that just recently started commercial operation in the US state of Illinois.

Avangrid Renewables LLC, part of sustainable energy company Avangrid Inc (NYSE:AGR), announced it has signed a long-term contract with T-Mobile US tied to the Otter Creek wind park in LaSalle County. The announcement says that the “supercharged Un-carrier” will purchase national renewable energy credits from Avangrid Renewables.

“T-Mobile is all in on our commitment to using 100% renewable energy to offset the environmental impact of our operations — it’s the right thing to do for our business and our planet,” said Mike Sievert, CEO at T-Mobile.

The particular wind park became operational on March 1, 2020. It is spread over a 10,000-acre (4,047 ha) site where a total of 42 Vestas turbines of two different models are installed. It is estimated that the facility can produce over 504,100 MWh of electricity a year, which is enough to power about 60,000 homes.

Avangrid noted that building the plant led to almost USD 12 million (EUR 11m) in local spending. Over its 25-year lifespan, the project is expected to generate some USD 30 million in landowner lease and neighbour payments. New tax revenue is seen to amount to USD 17 million over 20 years.

(USD 1.0 = EUR 0.922)

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