Oklahoma is getting yet another wind farm. Enel Green Power North America broke ground this week on its Seven Cowboy wind farm located in Washita and Kiowa counties in the southwestern part of the state.
The 300-MW wind park near Sentinel will be Enel Green’s 13th project in Oklahoma and should be operational by the end of 2022. It also brings the company’s investment in Oklahoma to $3 billion.
The project is expected to generate over $55 million in new local tax revenue for schools and public services, along with over $41 million in payments to landowners, over its lifetime. Construction will involve over 300 construction jobs, and the site will employ around 15 permanent positions.
The Seven Cowboy wind farm will consist of 107 turbines that will be capable of producing more than 1.3 TWh of electricity a year, or enough to power more than 120,000 households.
Enel Green Power started construction on its first Oklahoma wind farm, Rocky Ridge, in 2011. The company also intends to open a new center in Oklahoma City to focus on the training of wind turbine technicians.
“With another Oklahoma wind farm on the way, we’re increasing our focus on developing a strong cleanenergy workforce,” said Paolo Romanacci, Head of Enel Green Power in the US and Canada.
“Our process is straightforward: invest in STEM education to inspire students to join our industry, execute on our ambitious growth strategy to create new skilled jobs, and train new hires in-house to equip them for our open positions in Oklahoma and beyond.”
Enel’s new office space will include classrooms and state-of-the art simulation facilities for working inside wind turbines. Courses will include topics such as safety, professional development, working at heights, ladder rescues, turbine repair and troubleshooting.
Trainees will learn in multiple settings including classroom discussion, hands-on simulation and virtual reality. New wind workers supporting Enel’s entire US wind fleet will simulate the experience of climbing and maintaining a wind turbine with trainings held year-round inside an office space that also can support up to 25 office-based employees.