Commercial  -  July 2, 2020

Vail Resorts to cover 90% of electricity with new wind farm

Vail Resorts announced July 1 that they will be covering 90% of the electricity use at their 34 North American resorts with energy from an 82-turbine wind project that went online this week.

The mountain resort operator committed to purchasing 310,000 MWh of electricity annually from the Plum Creek Wind project. This partnership with Ørsted was first announced in 2018 when Vail Resorts believed the agreement would cover 100% of their North American electricity use. Since then, the company acquired 17 smaller ski areas that increased their electricity load, but the project still marks substantial progress toward their goal of 100% renewable energy by 2030.

“Setting bold operational sustainability goals, and finding innovative ways to reach them, is a priority for us at Vail Resorts,” Kate Wilson, senior director of sustainability at Vail Resorts, said in a statement. “Along with local efforts, VPPAs are an important way for large companies to have a measurable impact on climate change. Reaching our Commitment to Zero energy goals will require a multi-pronged strategy and bringing new, renewable energy to the grid is a key way we’ll get there.”

The VPPA Vail Resorts signed with Ørsted is the first of its kind to be executed by a Colorado-based company as a buyer. The company has also engaged in other regional renewable energy projects such as sponsoring Xcel Energy’s new solar energy facility in Colorado and advocating for Rocky Mountain Power’s 308,000 MWh renewable energy project in Utah.

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