Construction begins on USD3.1bn 1,150 MW wind plan in the USA
Rocky Mountain Power, regional utility in the USA kicked off construction efforts on Energy Vision 2020 on June 5 during a groundbreaking in Carbon County. Energy Vision 2020 is Rocky Mountain Power’s plan to add more wind power and transmission in Wyoming, as well as make the state’s existing wind turbines more efficient.
The US$3.1 billion plan includes three new Wyoming wind farms that will provide a total 1,150 MW of new wind as well as a 140-mile high-voltage transmission line in Wyoming that will help more wind energy connect to PacifiCorp’s transmission system. In addition to the new wind projects and transmission line, the company’s Energy Vision 2020 initiative will upgrade, or “repower,” the company’s existing wind fleet with longer blades and newer technology to boost output and extend the life of the projects.
Rocky Mountain Power is a subsidiary of PacifiCorp, which is, in turn, a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Energy.
Projects within Energy Vision 2020 include:
- Repowering current wind turbines, Converse County
- Repowering current wind turbines, Carbon County
- New wind construction, Ekola, Carbon County
- New wind construction, TB Flats I & II, Carbon County
- New wind construction, Cedar Springs, Converse County
- Gateway West Transmission (Sweetwater & Carbon Counties)
“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.”
These investments will help diversify the state’s economy, create jobs and add to the tax base. These projects are expected to:
- Create between 1,100 and 1,600 construction jobs in Wyoming and more than 100 full-time positions.
- Add approximately $120 million in tax revenue from construction.
- Bring significant post-construction annual tax revenues starting at approximately $11 million in 2021 and growing to $14 million annually by 2024.
