Sustainability

EDPR NA has voluntarily obtained Incidental Take Permits and developed Habitat Conservation Plans for several Midwest wind projects to minimize impacts on protected bat species. We raise cut-in wind speeds and feather turbine blades during low-wind and active-bat periods to reduce fatalities, and we've contributed to bat habitat mitigation projects that will permanently conserve roughly 1,000 acres of habitat.

At Rising Tree Wind, EDPR NA has supported California condor conservation through the Wind Energy Condor Action Team (WECAT) and an Incidental Take Permit under the Endangered Species Act. Over more than 15 years, WECAT has committed over $6 million to The Peregrine Fund, enabling the release of an estimated 35 additional adult condors into the wild — strengthening the recovery of one of North America's most endangered species.

At Meridian Way Wind, EDPR NA partnered with the Ranchland Trust of Kansas and The Nature Conservancy of Kansas to protect and restore grassland habitat for greater prairie chickens and other grassland bird species. From 2008 to 2022, the project secured 13,372 acres of permanent conservation easements — surpassing its original goal — and restored more than 30,000 acres of native grasslands through targeted habitat improvement. The result: stronger grassland ecosystems, greater biodiversity, and long-term protection for iconic prairie bird populations.

The program collected seeds and vegetative material from ecologically important native species, grew seedlings in an on-site nursery, and transplanted them into areas equal to — and slightly larger than — the vegetation the project affected. Using 15 native species, it planted over 134,000 seedlings, fully meeting its reforestation goal, with a survival rate above 95% — far exceeding requirements. The result: restored native vegetation, improved soil stability, and stronger long-term biodiversity.

Ahead of construction at Los Cañones Wind, this program rescued and relocated 32 species of fauna and 37 species of flora, guided by EDPR NA's mitigation hierarchy: avoid, minimize, restore. Our team identified, rescued, and safely relocated native species to suitable habitats — proactively preventing biodiversity loss and driving faster ecosystem recovery in the project area. EDPR NA partnered with Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León's (UANL) Biological Sciences department on environmental management for the project.