09.25.15

Hoeven Celebrates Groundbreaking for Xcel Energy's Courtenay Wind Farm

COURTENAY, N.D. – Senator John Hoeven today celebrated the groundbreaking of Xcel Energy’s new Courtenay wind farm. The 200 megawatt project, located about 30 miles north of Jamestown, spans 25,000 acres and will have 100 Vestas wind turbines upon its completion in 2016. When fully operational, it will have the capacity to serve approximately 105,000 homes.

During his time as Governor, Hoeven worked to establish a comprehensive energy plan for the State of North Dakota. The plan – Empower North Dakota – helped to ensure that the state’s energy sectors, both traditional and renewable, worked together in innovative and environmentally responsible ways. As a member of the U.S. Senate Energy Committee, Hoeven is working to create the same pro-business climate on the national level in order to build a states-first, all-of-the-above energy plan for our nation.

“North Dakota has gone from less than half a megawatt of wind power in 2001, when I began my service as governor, to more than 1,886 megawatts at the end of 2014, which accounted for more than 17 percent of all electricity generated in our state,” Hoeven said. “We have demonstrated that an all-of-the-above approach to energy development can be successful. A good business climate like we’ve built in North Dakota can encourage developers to deploy new technologies that will produce more energy with better environmental stewardship. Xcel Energy’s new wind farm in Courtenay serves as a wonderful example of how energy projects can bolster our state’s economy.”

North Dakota ranks fifth in the nation for percentage of electricity derived from wind, and Stutsman County’s location in wind-abundant central North Dakota makes it an ideal place for wind development. Courtenay wind farm is projected to generate approximately $850,000 in local tax revenues.

Xcel Energy currently employs 110 North Dakotans and serves more than 92,000 electric customers and almost 52,000 natural gas customers with clean, reliable energy throughout the Grand Forks, Fargo and Minot areas. It is the number one wind energy provider in the United States.  

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