10 major wind projects in development in 2022

MidAmerican Energy, a subsidiary of Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Energy, submitted proposals in January 2022 for a Wind Prime project located in Iowa. The proposed project would include 2,042 MW of wind generation and 50 MW of solar generation. The proposed wind facilities would have a lifetime of 40 years, while the solar facilities would last 30 years. Wind PRIME will involve the interconnection of wind and solar generation sites to the MidAmerican electric transmission system. The Wind PRIME interconnections are in varying phases of the MISO generation interconnection process. MidAmerican expects to be able to place all Wind PRIME wind and solar generation, up to 2,092 MW, into service in 2023 and 2024. MidAmerican is confident in its ability to put all parts of the project in service before January 1, 2026. The project has a total investment of $3.9 billion, according to MidAmerican.

Equinor and BP announced in January 2022 the finalization of the Purchase and Sale Agreements (PSAs) with the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYERSDA), for Empire Wind 2 and Beacon Wind 1. The 1,260 MW Empire Wind 2 and 1,230 MW Beacon Wind projects were provisionally awarded in January 2021 as a result of NYSERDA’s second offshore wind competitive solicitation. Beacon Wind Project is located over 60 miles east of Montauk Point and will be the first offshore wind project in the U.S. to utilize High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) transmission technology. Projects are expected to enter into commercial operation in 2027 and 2028, respectively. The projects will strengthen New York’s economy and further drive investments in ports to directly support offshore wind projects while establishing New York as the hub of the offshore wind supply chain.

Canadian power producer Innergex Renewable Energy Inc. (IRE) announced in June 2022 a 331.8 MW onshore wind power Boswell Springs Project in Albany County, Wyoming. The project is currently in the permitting stage. IRE will sell the power generated from the project to Rocky Mountain Power under a power purchase agreement for 20 years. The offtake capacity of the project is around 320 MW. The Boswell Springs Project is expected to begin in December 2024. 

Seven Cowboy Wind Project, LLC submitted filings to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for the proposed Seven Cowboy Wind project in March 2022. The project is a 300-megawatt (MW) wind farm in Kiowa and Washita Counties, Oklahoma. It comprises 107 turbines that generate approximately 1.3 terawatt-hours (TWh) of energy annually. The construction started on March 30, 2022, and is expected to be operational by the end of 2022. 

BMP Wind LLC submitted filings on January 11, 2022, to the Public Utility Commission of Texas for the Baird North Wind Facility or the Mesquite Sky Wind Project. The Project comprises 340 megawatts (MW) nameplate capacity with 69 Siemens Gamesa wind turbines located in Callahan County, Texas. NorthRenew Energy sold the Project to Clearway Energy Group in 2019. Clearway Energy Group started the project’s construction on January 21, 2021, and completed it on January 31, 2022, with over $427 million worth of investment. A lender group comprising Marquee Global Financing Institutions led the Project’s construction debt financing.

Badger Wind, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ørsted Onshore North America, LLC, submitted filings in February 2022 to the North Dakota Public Utilities Commission for the proposed Badger Wind Project in Logan and McIntosh Counties, North Dakota, with a total area of 31,514 acres. The Project is a 250-megawatt (MW) wind farm with 74 wind turbines and a nameplate capacity of 251.6 MW. The construction of a 230 kilovolt (kV) transmission line approximately 0.75 miles in length that will interconnect to the Wishek Junction 230-kV substation is also planned. The project will include a 2-acre substation adjacent to the Operations and Maintenance (O&M) facility designed to step up the voltage from the 34.5-kV collection system to the 230-kV transmission line voltage. The construction will start on September 1, 2022, and will be completed on December 31, 2023. 

Seven Cowboy Wind Project, LLC submitted filings to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for the proposed 25 Mile Creek Windfarm in Ellis County, Oklahoma in March 2022. The project comprises 60 wind turbines that generate over 1.1 terawatt-hours (TWh) of energy per year. The construction began on October 27, 2021, and is expected to be operational by the end of 2022. FirmoGraphs estimates the project will cost $340 million based on the 2021 Annual Technology Baseline (ATB) data from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), with a cost estimate of $1,348 per kilowatt (KW) for wind projects.

Terra-Gen Development Company will develop the Monte Alto I Wind and Monte Alto II Wind projects in Willacy County, Texas. The project is the first phase of the Monte Alto Wind Farm that has a capacity of 223.8 megawatts (MW), comprising 38 units at 4.8 MW each and 18 units at 2.3 MW each. The construction will commence in 2022 and is expected to be finished in 2023. Monte Alto II Wind project is the second phase of the Monte Alto Wind Farm that has a capacity of 236.9 megawatts (MW), comprising seven (7) units at 2.3 MW each and 46 units at 4.8 MW each. The construction will commence in 2022 and is expected to be finished in 2023.

233 Randolph 74 Solar I, LLC submitted in February 2022 a Renewable Energy Credit Generators certification form for the proposed Ranchland Wind Project II in Cisco City, Texas. The project comprises 32 units, each generating 4.62 Megawatts (MW) of power with a total capacity of 148.02 MW. Wind Project II started operations on April 1, 2022.