Great River Energy (GRE), a US electric cooperative, has committed to purchase clean energy from Apex Clean Energy's 400-MW wind project in North Dakota.



According to Apex, the partners have struck an agreement in principle and want to sign a contract for the power procurement. The agreement pertains to Apex's Discovery Wind project in McLean County, North Dakota, which is scheduled to begin operations in 2025.



The wind farm will be connected to the grid via a 436-mile high-voltage direct-current (HVDC) transmission link purchased from GRE by Nexus Line, a Rainbow Energy subsidiary.



GRE, based in Minnesota, is in the process of phasing down or selling its remaining coal-fired units and tripling its renewable energy capacity. The Discovery project, according to the release, will meet a large amount of the company's renewable energy needs as it transitions to a new power supply. The cooperative has also committed to reducing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by more than 80% by 2025.



"While providing clean and reliable energy to Minnesota and parts of Wisconsin, our members will enjoy stable wholesale electric rates for years," stated GRE CEO David Saggau.



The electric cooperative is now converting a coal-fired power plant in North Dakota to run mostly on natural gas, and by late 2023, it hopes to have a 1-MW long-duration battery facility operational in Cambridge, Minnesota.



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