Wind Power News: Oregon
These news and opinion items are gathered by National Wind Watch to help keep readers informed about developments related to industrial wind energy. They are the products of the organizations or individuals noted and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of National Wind Watch.
Oregon wind developer contemplates super-tall turbines
A proposed Oregon wind farm could become home to the nation’s tallest wind turbines, with blade tips reaching 650 feet into the air – more than 100 feet higher than the loftiest Portland skyscraper. Avangrid Renewables is considering the turbines for the Golden Hills Wind Project near the town of Wasco, about 100 miles east of Portland. State Energy Department staff this week recommended approval of the Portland-based company’s request to amend an existing site permit and allow for the mammoth . . . Complete story »
Wind turbine sparks grass fire
A malfunctioning wind turbine sparked a grass fire near Arlington that burned about 2,000 acres on Thursday. Joe Claughton, North Gilliam Rural Fire Protection District chief, said no buildings were burned, but two railroad trestles caught on fire. The fire started about half a mile from milepost 3 on Highway 19 by Rattlesnake Road. Claughton said he’s seen about “half a dozen” wind turbine fires over the years, but this is the first one he saw that sparked a grass . . . Complete story »
Wind turbine caught on fire in Arlington
Firefighters put out a fire in Arlington on Thursday that started from a wind turbine. Arlington Fire Chief said a wind turbine caught fire and spread to a nearby brush/grassland. The fire was estimated at 2,000 acres and fire crews were trying to stop the fire at Highway 19 and Rhea Road. No structures were threatened, but the fire burnt mostly grassland and 2 railroad trestles on the waste management line. Arlington is a city in Gilliam County, 50 miles . . . Complete story »
Windmill fire spreads to 2,000 acres near Arlington
ARLINGTON, Ore. – A fire caused by wind turbine was quickly put out Thursday night, according to firefighters. Arlington Fire says the fire burned 2,000 acres including railroad ties and three windmills on Highway 19. The fire burned mostly on private grazing land and no structures were threatened. Complete story »
Wind turbine sparks fire in Arlington
ARLINGTON, Ore. – A wind turbine caught fire Thursday, sparking a 2,000-acre wildfire, according to the North Gilliam Rural Fire Protection District. The turbine was on Rattlesnake Road and, according to firefighters, the fire jumped Highway 19, closing the road. Firefighters got the fire out but not before two railroad bridges were burned. No evacuations were needed. Complete story »
Wheatridge wind farm seeks bigger turbine blades
NextEra Energy Resources wants taller blades on turbines at its Wheatridge Wind Energy Facility sites in Umatilla and Morrow counties. NextEra, based in Florida, bought the development rights for the 292-turbine wind farm in June 2017. The project would produce a maximum of 500 megawatts of power on almost 13,100 acres separated into two sites – the west turbine group about 7 miles northwest of Heppner and the east turbine group which spans the border of Morrow and Umatilla counties. NextEra . . . Complete story »
PacifiCorp challenges PUC staff in controversial $1.5B wind power bidding process
PacifiCorp is defending a $1.5 billion wind power solicitation that has come under sharp attack from Oregon Public Utility Commission staff, emphasizing that an independent evaluator that monitored the process endorsed the results as “the best viable options.” “The independent evaluator is an independent expert appointed and managed by the commission – not PacifiCorp – to ensure that the (request for proposals) process was conducted in a fair and unbiased manner and to ensure that the final shortlist projects are reasonable and . . . Complete story »
PUC staff blasts PacifiCorp over $1.5B wind power bidding process
PacifiCorp’s rush to add a billion and a half dollars of new wind power in Wyoming is facing a challenge – a scathing review by Oregon utility regulatory staff of a bidding process that led to projects that would be largely owned by the company. The projects were still likely to deliver benefits to PacifiCorp customers, an independent evaluator said, but the staff said the process unfairly cut out competitors offering potentially better deals. “The RFP process did not result in . . . Complete story »
Winds of change: What will power the Northwest’s future?
MARTINSDALE, Mont. – Carl Borgquist wants to spend more than $1 billion to transform a remote butte fringed by pine trees into a giant water battery. This might seem a madman’s folly if not for the roller-coaster nature of wind and solar power production, which can soar when few need electricity, then fade in the evenings when people come home to turn on the lights. When demand is low, Borquist would store energy in the form of water pumped from a . . . Complete story »
Native birds face legal threats, in Oregon and beyond
Somewhat earlier than usual because of the warm weather, thousands of snow geese and trumpeter swans have returned to Oregon oases, including Summer Lake and the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge – an annual reminder that winter is nearing its end. The geese and swans, migrating up from California’s Central Valley, are among the first arrivals along the Pacific Flyway, a massive West Coast migration corridor for birds that extends from Alaska to Mexico. Jeff Mackay, deputy project leader for the Malheur . . . Complete story »
