Two new projects to triple Oregon wind power generation
By JEFF BARNARD, AP Environmental Writer
Friday, July 7, 2006 12:11 PM CDT
GRANTS PASS, Ore. — Two new wind power projects approved by the Oregon Department of Energy on the Columbia Plateau will eventually triple the capacity of wind power in the state.
The Biglow Canyon Wind Farm, developed for its own use by Portland General Electric, Oregon’s biggest utility, will be the biggest wind power project in the state to date with approval to provide up to 450 megawatts. Wind turbines will be erected in three phases on more than 2,000 acres of private farmland.
The Klondike III project, being developed by PPM Energy of Portland, gained approval to build up to 272 megawatts. PPM has yet to sign a contract with a buyer, said spokeswoman Jan Johnson.
Both will be built on farmland in Sherman County east of the Cascade Range and south of the Columbia River.
There is no firm timetable for completion of either project, but they need to be operational by Dec. 31, 2007, to receive a federal tax credit that has been spurring development around the country,
PGE spokesman Steve Corson said it has been difficult to secure turbines lately due to high demand for alternative energy generated by the tax credit and high prices for oil and gas.
When completed, they will boost wind power capacity in Oregon to 722 megawatts, enough to power about 180,000 households, and bring to eight the number of wind projects in the state.
So far, all of Oregon’s wind power is generated in the windy corridor south of the Columbia River and east of the Cascades, but there is a possibility some could be developed in the southeastern part of the state, said Diana Enright, assistant director of renewable energy for the department.
The Oregon Department of Energy Facility Siting Council granted permits for the projects last Friday. The proposals were evaluated according to the viability of the companies developing them, and local environmental, economic and social impacts.
Wind generation could soon double again in Oregon. Lifeline Development Group of Sacramento, Calif., has notified the Department of Energy that it will apply for permission to build a 750 megawatt wind farm near Arlington. the project would cover 32,000 acres of mostly private farmland in Gilliam and Morrow counties.
Wind remains a very small percentage of generating capacity in Oregon, but Gov. Ted Kulongoski has set a goal of new renewable energy sources providing 25 percent of Oregon energy needs by the year 2025.
Besides wind and solar generators, renewable sources include biomass, geothermal and other types of generation that do not depend on fossil fuels such as coal and natural gas. Hydroelectric power and coal provide the bulk of energy in Oregon, but no new large hydro projects are expected to be built.
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