Wabash Valley and Hoosier Energy sign wind pact

Giant turbines at the Meadow Lake Wind Farm in northwestern Indiana harvest the power of the wind to create electricity. Indiana’s electric cooperative power suppliers, Hoosier Energy and Wabash Valley Power Association, are purchasing the power for their 41 ­electric cooperatives to distribute to their member/ consumers all across Indiana and parts of Missouri and Illinois.

Wabash Valley Power Association and Hoosier Energy Rural Electric Cooperative, Inc., located in Indiana, will soon be ­recipients of a ­combined 100 MW of wind energy for their ­members. Hoosier Energy and Wabash Valley are ­cooperative ­generation and transmission (G&T) providers with a ­combined 41 distribution ­cooperatives located in Indiana, parts of Illinois and Missouri.

More than 611,000 homes, farms and businesses will ­benefit from the 2-year power ­purchase agreement the two G&Ts entered into in 2016. The ­agreement with EDP Renewables’ purchases 100 percent of the wind capacity from Meadow Lake V located in northwestern Indiana.

“Electric cooperatives are focused on providing cost-effective energy for their member systems through a ­variety of resources including renewables,” said Steve Smith, Hoosier Energy President/CEO. “This agreement adds more wind resources to our all-of-the-above ­portfolio, which includes coal, natural gas, wind, hydro and gas generation.”

“Diversifying our power supply mix is a long-held ­strategy that reduces both expense and risk for our ­members,” commented Jay Bartlett, CEO of Wabash Valley Power. “Purchasing wind and other renewable resources furthers our mission to provide affordable, reliable, and ­sustainable energy to our members.”

The power purchase agreement will provide 25 MW of energy annually in 2018 and an additional 50 MW in 2020 for Hoosier Energy’s cooperative member systems. For Wabash Valley Power members, the agreement will provide 25 MW of energy beginning in 2018.