Walmart signs PPAs for 223MW from EDPR

UNITED STATES: EDP Renewables (EDPR) has signed three power purchase agreements (PPAs) with retail giant Walmart buying electricity from wind farms in Illinois and Indiana.

by Craig Richard 16 October 2018

Walmart has previously signed power purchase agreements for wind farms in South Dakota, Texas and California (pic: Flickr/Random Retail)

Walmart will source 223MW of output from three projects, developed, owned and operated by EDPR.

The value of the retail company’s investment has not been disclosed.

However, it is enough to enable construction of the 200MW Harvest Ridge and 205MW Bright Stalk projects in Illinois and the 200MW Headwaters II site in Indiana, EDPR stated.

Walmart will source:

  • 123MW from the 205MW Bright Stalk site in McLean county in north-central Illinois, which is due to be commissioned in 2019;
  • 50MW from the Harvest Ridge wind farm in eastern Illinois, which is due online in 2019;
  • and 60MW from the Headwaters II site in Randolph county in eastern Indiana, which is due to start operations in 2020.

Walmart aims to power 100% of its operations from renewable sources, and previously signed PPAs for wind farms in South Dakota, Texas, and California.

More than 4.2GW of corporate PPAs have been signed in the US this year, already setting a new record for this kind of power deal, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF).

Miguel Prado, CEO of EDPR North America, said: "The declining cost of renewable power has led to an increase in clean energy procurement from companies like Walmart in recent years.

"The continued commitment from corporate entities in procuring renewable energy speaks volumes about the importance and value of securing fixed, competitive pricing over the long-term."

With the commissioning of Bright Stalk and Harvest Ridge next year, EDPR will have more than 1.2GW of installed wind capacity in Illinois.

It currently has 801MW of operational wind projects in Indiana, and will reach 1GW by the end of 2018, the company added.