EDF Renewable Energy (EDF RE) and Kimberly-Clark Corporation said on December 14, 2017, that the Rock Falls Wind Project has started commercial operation. The 154 MW wind farm sits in Kay and Grant counties in northern Oklahoma. Even its turbines and components were made in the USA.
Earlier in 2017, Kimberly-Clark agreed to buy 120 MW of the project’s output. It is the company’s first use of renewable energy at utility scale. The deal is tied to Kimberly-Clark’s tissue and towel plant in Jenks, Oklahoma, where Kleenex, Scott, Cottonelle and Viva products are made. According to the company, the wind power will offset 1.5 times the greenhouse gas emissions linked to the electricity that plant uses.
Work on the site began in July 2017. Since then, construction has created more than 150 jobs and put millions of dollars into the local economy.
Ryan Pfaff, executive vice president at EDF Renewable Energy, praised corporate buyers such as Kimberly-Clark for backing a low-carbon economy. Their commitment, he said, is what allowed Rock Falls to go ahead. In turn, the project brings jobs, a larger tax base and long-term income for local landowners.
Lisa Morden, global head of sustainability at Kimberly-Clark, also called the partnership a significant step in the company’s energy and climate strategy.
Rock Falls is the second EDF RE project in Oklahoma. The first, the Great Western Wind Project, was finished in 2016 and supplies power to Google. EDF RE calls itself the top developer for corporate buyers, with 930 MW under contract. Its corporate customers in North America include Google, Microsoft, Salesforce, Walmart and Yahoo.