Duke Energy continues to expand its renewable energy portfolio with the acquisition of a 70-magawatt wind power project in Pennsylvania known as the North Allegheny Windpower Project. Gamesa Energy USA was the original wind turbine manufacturer and project developer. 

This marks the first wind energy project for Duke Energy in the Eastern US; however, they have other wind projects including selling wind power to WalMart stores in Texas. The North Allegheny project consists of 35 Gamesa wind turbines, each  capable of producing two megawatts (MW) of electricity. This purchase will give the company more than 700 MW of wind-powered generation by the of 2009. 

Wouter van Kempen, president of Duke Energy Generation Services (DEGS), which is a business unit of Duke Energy that owns and develops renewable power assets, said in a company statement today, “The purchase of the North Allegheny Windpower Project in Pennsylvania marks a milestone for Duke Energy and its renewables business. This acquisition immediately expands our wind  power portfolio beyond the western U.S., where we have half a dozen projects already in operation or under construction.”

Once the project is complete, Duke energy will sell all the energy generated from the wind turbines to FirstEnergy. The wind farm is expected to be online by the end of this year.