Enel Green Power helps fund area community needs

At the $25,000 check presentation to the Roxbury Fire Department, from left: Mark Donnarumma (EGP), Jeremy Erickson (Roxbury Fire Department), Don Florine (RFD), Scott Anderson (RFD), James Henderson (EGP), Shawn Anderson (RFD), Tim Anderson (RFD), Warren Unruh (RFD), Gary Glahn (RFD), Roxbury Fire Chief Mark Wiebe. *Photos courtesy Enel Green Power North America*

TAMPA, Kan. – Enel Green Power North America (EGP), owner and operator of the Diamond Vista wind farm located in Marion and Dickinson counties, presented $55,000 in financial support toward community needs in the Roxbury and Tampa communities on Wednesday.

Diamond Vista Assistant Site Supervisor James Henderson joined local officials for presentations to the fire departments serving Tampa and Roxbury and to the new Paul Gooding Memorial Library in Tampa.

EGP is invested in Kansas and committed to the long-term sustainability of the communities where it operates, supporting initiatives that are critical to the community and representative of Enel’s core sustainability platform. This includes $8.5 million in funding to support research, preservation and combating invasive species within the Tallgrass Prairie habitat, and approximately $300,000 to local education and scholarship programs.

“We’re proud members of the Tampa and Roxbury communities,” Henderson said. “Enel Green Power is grateful to partner with these agencies to create shared value for our neighbors.”

At the Tampa Fire Department $25,000 check presentation, from left: James Henderson (EGP), Tampa Fire Chief Greg Berens, and Mark Donnarumma (EGP) in front of the truck purchased with EGP’s support.

EGP presented the Marion County (Tampa) Fire District 7 and McPherson County (Roxbury) Fire District 6 with $25,000 each toward emergency response equipment. The Tampa station purchased a new brush truck for responding to grass fires and vehicular accidents. The Roxbury station, which also serves portions of Marion County around Diamond Vista, will purchase new communications equipment to aid in emergency response across a wide rural area.

“We’re a totally volunteer department, and we raise as much funds as we can, but without support like this some projects just never get off the ground,” said Tampa Fire Chief Greg Berens. “It makes all the difference in the world. We are very thankful.”

“The ability to immediately interact with other firefighters and other departments is critical and the proper technology is expensive,” said Roxbury Fire Chief Mark Wiebe. “These funds from Enel Green Power will provide cutting-edge communication equipment improving efficiency and potentially saving property and lives.”

At the $5,000 check presentation for the library in Tampa, from left: Linda Ihde, James Henderson (EGP), Gary Spohn, Mark Donnarumma (EGP), Carole Spohn, Courtney Cole, Betty Mueller, Mary Jirak, Francis Jirak, Head Librarian Kathy Davis, Phyllis Branson.

EGP also presented $5,000 to the Tampa Community Foundation toward construction work for the new Paul Gooding Memorial Library in Tampa. The funds provided high-efficiency lighting and an HVAC system in a renovated building downtown.

“We’re happy to have a library here in a community this size,” said Kathy Davis, head librarian. “It’s great for the community, great for kids and great for adults. We’re just grateful to have it here.”

In Kansas, EGP operates six wind farms across the state including Smoky Hills I & II (250 MW), Caney River (200 MW), Buffalo Dunes (250 MW), Cimarron Bend (400 MW) and Diamond Vista (300 MW). The company’s overall investment in Kansas amounts to more than $2.1 billion and 210 full-time employees working in the state. Since 2006, EGP’s growth in Kansas and throughout the U.S. has been supported by Tradewind Energy, Inc, a strategic partner and leading renewables developer based in Lenexa, Kan. With the recent acquisition of Tradewind, EGP has expanded its presence in Kansas where the company is the largest wind operator with more than 1.4 GW of operational wind capacity.

Enel Green Power North America, part of the Renewable Energies division of the Enel Group, is a leading owner and operator of renewable energy plants in North America with projects operating and under development in 24 US states and two Canadian provinces. EGP operates approximately 100 plants with a managed capacity exceeding 5 GW powered by renewable hydropower, wind, geothermal, and solar energy.