Dixon County Wind Farm Begins Construction

WAKEFIELD, NE — A new source of revenue for northeast Nebraskans will double as a new source of power for Facebook. Enel Green Power North America announced the beginning of construction on the Rattlesnake Creek Wind Project in Dixon County today at the Nebraska Wind and Solar Conference in Lincoln. The 320 megawatt wind farm will supply 100 percent of the energy used to power Facebook’s new data center in Papillion. Enel Associate VP of Energy Management Mark McGrail says wind energy fits with Facebook’s values. “Facebook has corporate and social values where they want to focus on sustainability,” McGrail said. “This is a way for them to move those goals forward.” The wind farm located north of Wakefield will be the second-largest in the state. McGrail says they will get initial construction works underway over the winter and expect operations to start in the fourth quarter of 2018. He says the farm will benefit the community by hiring 12-16 full-time workers and by easing property owners’ tax burden. “Wind energy development provides significant property tax revenue to the tax base without increasing the current tax rate levied on land owners,” McGrail said. The Rattlesnake Creek project will tap into OPPD’s existing infrastructure to deliver the energy to Facebook’s Sarpy County campus.