The Rattlesnake Creek Wind Farm Paves the Way for Renewable Energy

With innovative solutions, Enel Green Power is able to provide sustainable energy from its new Rattlesnake Creek plant, in Nebraska, which began operations at the end of 2018.

“We’ve made a commitment to powering our data centers with renewable energy. This benefits us, Nebraska and to the environment in general. Our partnership with EGP supports this, bringing 320 MW of wind energy onto the State’s grid and boosting new investments and jobs in eastern Nebraska.”

– Bobby Hollis, Director of Global Energy for Facebook

Adobe and Facebook have opted for renewable energy by signing Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) for long-term clean energy supply. These provide a commercial solution that can repay, through guaranteed cash flow, investments in new renewable plants, to the benefit of economic and environmental sustainability.

Energy from the Heart of the United States

The Rattlesnake Creek wind farm was built in Dixon County, in eastern Nebraska, with an investment of over 430 million dollars.

Once completely operational, the plant will generate about 1300 GWh of sustainable energy each year. Part of that will be sold to Facebook, which will power its new Papillion Data Center with 100% renewable energy, making it one of the most energy-efficient plants in the world.

Some of Rattlesnake Creek’s energy will also be sold to Adobe, getting it closer to its goal of using only energy from renewable sources by 2035.

In total, with the energy produced by its 101 turbines, Rattlesnake Creek will help avoid the emission of over 940,000 tons of CO2 each year, equivalent to what 200,000 vehicles produce. 
 

Building to Conserve

Enel Green Power is committed to the “sustainable worksite” model and the Creating shared value model (CSV). When it builds projects, it monitors sustainability performance for energy, waste and water management, and the economic impact on the local community.

At Rattlesnake Creek, for example, we were able to recycle over 200 tons of waste from the construction site, as of October 2018.

Rattlesnake Creek stands out for its collaboration with associations and groups that protect fish and wildlife. Enel Green Power worked with these groups to study the wildlife and local habitats, in order to minimize the threat to the local environment.  

Powering Community Strength

In addition to building almost 50 kilometers of new roads and protecting wildlife, Rattlesnake Creek also provided a great opportunity for the residents of the county.

300 new jobs were created during the plant’s construction, which had a significant impact on Dixon County’s economy.  We gave a further boost to the local economy by purchasing 11 million dollars in goods and services from local companies.

Enel Green Power has contributed significantly to the Rural Workforce Housing Investment Fund in the city of Wakefield, a fund used by the community to remodel or build new homes to help the area attract and maintain a rural work force.

Throughout the project, Enel Green Power will sponsor education and training in science, technology and renewable energy, providing scholarships to local students to participate in training programs for the wind technicians of the future.

After HillTopper and Diamond Vista, our journey of discovery through the United States’ massive wind farms will continue at High Lonesome, Texas… stay tuned!