Boyd Jones is nearing completion of the last of three wind turbines built for Bluestem Energy Solutions in Fillmore County, where Bluestem will sell clean electricity to Perennial Public Power District.

The companies broke ground in November 2017 for the project comprising three 2.3-megawatt General Electric turbines. Electricity generated at the site will be fed directly onto Perennial’s distribution system; the distribution-connected generation project is a key feature of the public-private partnership between Perennial and Bluestem, which is expected to drive economic development well beyond the construction phase.

Cap-and-trade-style programs like California’s Low-Carbon Fuel Standard are presenting an opportunity to Midwestern biofuels producers that power their facilities with on-site/adjacent renewable electricity generation. Perennial serves power to an ethanol plant near the village of Fairmont and wind energy from the Bluestem project will allow the ethanol producer to sell fuel to buyers in California and other states at a premium.

The project is expected to be fully commissioned by the third quarter of 2018. The Nebraska Signal reports the project represents the first-ever wind turbines to be installed in Fillmore County.