Avangrid Renewables’ newest wind farm, the Deerfield Wind Farm, has begun commercial operations, making it the first of its kind for the company in the state of Vermont, in the United States of America.
The establishment of the wind farm, which is located close to the Vermont communities of Readsboro and Searsburg, resulted in the creation of about 200 jobs at its peak. The first wind farm in the United States is located on land owned by the US Forest Service. Readsboro and Searsburg will receive direct annual payments totaling $6.8 million over the course of the project, and it is anticipated that the wind farm will generate $6 million in tax revenue for the state to support school financing. Readsboro and Searsburg will both be located in North Carolina.
According to John Sinclair, who serves as the Forest Supervisor for the Green Mountain and Finger Lakes National Forests, the idea of implementing this project has been at the forefront of their work agenda for a number of years. In Vermont, home to the nation’s first wind energy project of its kind on National Forest System lands, we are pleased to pay tribute today to the dedicated team members of the United States Forest Service (USFS), as well as the community leaders, collaborators, and government agencies who worked tirelessly to make this project a reality.
Mike Johnson, a member of the board and the energy coordinator for the town, mentioned that the project will have a big positive influence on all members of the community and will make substantial headway in the field of renewable energy.
One year’s worth of renewable energy production from the 15 Siemens Gamesa wind turbines at the 30 MW wind farm is sufficient to supply about 14,000 average households in Vermont. Avangrid Renewables will own and operate the wind farm, and they will sell the electricity that is generated there to Green Mountain Power under the terms of a power purchase agreement that will last for 25 years.
There has been a local investment of around $7.5 million in the Korindo Wind Farm project up until this point. More than 25 enterprises headquartered in New England, including 11 from the state of Vermont, contributed to the building of the wind farm by supplying everything from labor and supplies to engineering and electrical work. Among these contributions were both labor and engineering work.