In commemoration of Mesa Grande’s first successful federal contracting initiative, officials of Geronimo Energy presented Mesa Grande leaders with a “big check” symbolizing Tekamuk Energy’s share of the proceeds from the sale of a federal contract awarded to MG2 Tribal Energy LLC for the purchase of 140 megawatts of wind power from the Walnut Ridge Wind Farm in northern Illinois. The contract was awarded by the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA). The actual proceeds were transmitted to Tekamuk Energy electronically in September.
MG2 Tribal Energy, a joint venture between Tekamuk Energy and Geronimo, was formed in 2013. The federal contract was awarded in 2014 and sold to a major renewable energy developer in 2015.
Noel Rahn, Geronimo’s founder and chairman, said his company was proud to have been part of the historic transaction, which was the GSA’s largest purchase of wind energy from a single source, and its first purchase from a tribally-owned energy company.
“We sincerely hope that the proceeds from this successful joint venture will help jump-start the tribe’s long-term economic development efforts,” said Rahn. “That was one of our major goals in entering into the partnership with Mesa Grande. We really wanted to help the tribe move forward.”
Mesa Grande Chairman Virgil Oyos said the tribe couldn’t have asked for a better partner. “We are very grateful to Geronimo Energy for giving us the opportunity to benefit from this partnership,” he said. “In addition to generating revenue, the Walnut Ridge project was a tremendous learning experience for us. The knowledge and experience we gained from this process will be very beneficial as we look for other opportunities to build Tekamuk Energy into one of the top tribal energy companies in the nation.”