Ground broken on huge Wyoming wind project
Rocky Mountain Power launched a major new wind energy project in Carbon County, Wyoming Wednesday.
Energy Vision 2020 includes three new Wyoming wind farms and a 140-mile high-voltage transmission line that will help even more wind energy connect to the PacifiCorp transmission system.
The three wind farms will provide a total of 1,150 megawatts of new wind power, which represents a nearly 60% expansion of PacifiCorp’s current owned and contracted wind fleet.
Rocky Mountain Power said the project will also upgrade or “repower” the company’s existing wind fleet with longer blades and newer technology. That is expected to boost power output and extend the life of the projects.
“Today’s achievement is an important milestone in a long history of PacifiCorp’s investment in Wyoming,” said Gary Hoogeveen, president and CEO of Rocky Mountain Power. “Working in partnership with community leaders and active citizens, we continue to forge new ways to maintain Wyoming’s place as a national powerhouse in energy production.”
The project is expected to have a major impact on the Wyoming economy and tax base. It will create between 1,100 and 1,600 construction jobs and more than 100 full-time positions. It will add approximately $120 million in tax revenue from construction and, post-construction, create annual tax revenues starting at approximately $11 million in 2021 and growing to $14 million annually by 2024.
