San Francisco-based Pattern Energy Group LP says that its Ocotillo Wind project has reached commercial operation and is transmitting energy to the Sunrise Powerlink, a newly constructed 117-mile 500 kV transmission line linking San Diego and the Imperial Valley in California.
The Ocotillo Wind project, a 265 MW wind farm in Imperial Valley, has 94 turbines that are erected and operational; the remaining 18 turbines will be installed in the spring. San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) has a 20-year power purchase agreement with Pattern to purchase the project’s output.
Michael R. Niggli , president and chief operating officer of SDG&E, says the wind farm represents the Powerlink’s “first green contracted megawatts.”
"When the Sunrise Powerlink was put into service this past June, it instantly brought reliability to a region with strained resources; one of the key reasons why the transmission line was designed," Niggli notes.
