Regulators in Wyoming have given the go ahead for PacifiCorp to develop three wind farms totalling 1.15GW and a 225km transmission line in the US state.
The Wyoming Public Service Commission approved a settlement agreement between PacifiCorp, the Wyoming Industrial Energy Consumers, the Wyoming Office of Consumer Advocate and the Interwest Energy Alliance on the new wind and transmission portions of PacifiCorp’s Energy Vision 2020 proposal.
The commission also approved the certificates of public convenience and necessity, which are needed for construction of the Wyoming-based projects.
The agreement also means that a 161MW wind farm proposed for Uinta County will now not go ahead.
Pacific Power president and chief executive Stefan Bird said: “Approval by the Wyoming commission marks a key step forward for our plan to significantly expand the amount of cost-effective renewable energy serving customers.”
Pacific Power is the business unit of PacifiCorp that serves customers in Oregon, Washington and northern California.
PacifiCorp’s Energy Vision 2020 proposal also includes plans to repower its existing wind fleet in Wyoming, Washington and Oregon.
The repowering plan is being considered separately by the Wyoming commission and is still pending.
Construction of the projects is expected to start in 2019 depending on approval from state commissions, acquisition of rights of way and receipt of permits, PacifiCorp said.
Image: Pixabay
Wyoming green light for PacifiCorp
By EBS