Tenaska Clear Creek Energy Center

Powering the Midwest

Tenaska Clear Creek Energy Center, a 242-megawatt (MW) wind farm in northwest Missouri achieved commercial operation in May 2020. Located north of Maryville in Nodaway County, Tenaska Clear Creek consists of 111 turbines across approximately 31,000 acres.

“This project was a team effort that involved not just Tenaska but also a number of landowners, community leaders and contractors. For us all to come together and bring online this safe and efficient wind farm, that is quite an accomplishment,” said Tenaska CEO and Vice Chairman Jerry Crouse. “The team achieved many milestones to get here, and we are excited that Tenaska Clear Creek has reached its goal: commercial operation and delivering renewable power to Associated Electric Cooperative.”

The wind farm produces renewable energy under a 25-year power purchase agreement with Associated Electric Cooperative Inc., an electric generation and transmission cooperative based in Springfield, Missouri, that provides wholesale power to six regional cooperatives, including NW Electric Power Cooperative Inc. of Cameron, Missouri, and 51 local cooperative systems in Missouri, southeast Iowa and northeast Oklahoma that serve 910,000 members.

The wind farm is owned by Tenaska Clear Creek Wind, LLC, which includes affiliates of Tenaska and Bright Canyon Energy.

“We invested in this wind farm to gain operational experience with wind, and we could not have found a better partner for our first undertaking than Tenaska, a company that brings to the table innovation, commitment and rigor,” said Bright Canyon General Manager Jason Smith. “Clear Creek will provide clean energy to customers in the Midwest for years to come and serve as a model resource to make America’s energy mix more and more green through the coming decades. We are proud to be a part of that effort.”

Construction of the wind farm began in spring 2019 and represented an investment of more than $300 million in the regional economy. Mortenson, a premier builder and provider of energy and engineering services, was the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor. Through Mortenson, 350 craft workers were hired from the local area and approximately $30 million in contracts were awarded to regional businesses.

During operation, Tenaska Clear Creek is supported by a team of 16 local employees. Approximately 160 landowners have long-term leases with this wind farm, which is estimated to result in more than $1.2 million in lease payments annually. Tenaska Clear Creek is also expected to generate more than $1.2 million in tax revenue annually for local units of government.

News release from May 18, 2020