With Duke Energy's Kit Carson Windpower Project in Eastern Colorado now on line and producing electricity, the company has nearly 1000 MW of wind generation capacity in operation at nine U.S. wind farms.

All of the output from the Kit Carson site will serve customers of Tri-State Generation and Transmission's member electric cooperatives and public power districts through a 20-year power purchase agreement. Kit Carson consists of 34 General Electric wind turbines capable of producing 1.5 MW each, for a total of 51 MW. Construction at the 6,000-acre wind farm northwest of Burlington, Colo., began earlier this year and the facility achieved commercial operation on Nov. 19.

Kit Carson is the second commercial wind project Duke Energy brought on line in 2010. The company's 110-turbine, 200-MW Top of the World Windpower Project near Casper, Wyoming, reached commercial operation in October.

Duke Energy has invested more than $1 billion to grow its commercial wind power business over the last three years. The company brought the following wind farms on line prior to 2010:

• The 283-MW (net Duke capacity) Sweetwater Windpower Project in Nolan County, Texas
• The 29-MW Happy Jack Windpower Project in Laramie County, Wyo.
• The 59-MW Ocotillo Windpower Project in Howard County, Texas
• The 153-MW Notrees Windpower Project in Ector and Winkler counties, Texas
• The 70-MW North Allegheny Windpower Project in Blair and Cambria counties, Penn.
• The 42-MW Silver Sage Windpower Project in Laramie County, Wyo.
• The 99-MW Campbell Hill Windpower Project in Converse County, Wyo.