PacifiCorp proposes expansion of Wyoming wind projects 

RAWLINS – Nearly 3,250 megawatts of new, low-cost, clean energy resources including solar, wind, batteries and transmission to interconnect those resources to PacifiCorp’s multi-state grid, could join PacifiCorp’s rapidly decarbonizing system by 2024. Under the proposals, about half of the power could come from Wyoming wind, according to a press release. This is in addition to the plan to replace a retiring coal-powered plant with a nuclear facility.

PacifiCorp has identified 19 projects in a final shortlist of bids derived through a competitive all source request for proposals that was initiated last year. The shortlist was submitted to state regulators in Oregon on June 15.

These resource additions build upon PacifiCorp’s Energy Vision 2020 initiative that repowered PacifiCorp’s existing 1,000-megawatt wind fleet and brought online over 1,150 megawatts of new wind resources with new transmission to access those resources.

PacifiCorp is the largest regulated utility owner of wind power in the West and said these projects will further increase the significant amount of clean energy resources serving customers in six western states managed by its two retail service divisions. PacifiCorp’s resource portfolio serves Pacific Power customers in California, Oregon and Washington and Rocky Mountain Power customers in Idaho, Utah and Wyoming.

The release stated that the results of the competitive solicitation are consistent with PacifiCorp’s most recent integrated resource -lan, which identifies the least-cost, least-risk mix of energy resources to meet customer needs.

“These projects represent PacifiCorp’s longstanding and enduring commitment to create an energy future that is affordable, reliable and increasingly sustainable,” said Rick Link, PacifiCorp vice president of resource planning and acquisitions. “The results of this competitive all-source RFP deliver the best new resources the West has to offer and will enable our customers and communities across the West to benefit from low-cost clean energy to grow their economies and run their businesses and homes.”

The details of the bids are confidential, but a summary of the 19 shortlisted projects that met PacifiCorp’s selection criteria include:

— 1,641 megawatts of wind capacity in Wyoming, representing continued growth in low-cost Wyoming wind

— 151 megawatts of wind capacity in Idaho, the company’s largest wind acquisition in the state since 2012

— 10 megawatts of solar (including 52.5 megawatts of installed battery capacity) in Oregon, representing the largest investment to date in Oregon’s solar market

— 1,243 megawatts of solar (including 682 megawatts of installed battery capacity, plus one 200 megawatt standalone battery) in Utah

A new 400-mile, 500-kilovolt transmission line from eastern Wyoming to central Utah that was permitted over the previous decade will enable access to low-cost renewables and strengthen PacifiCorp’s multistate network.

“These are all outstanding projects that will serve customer needs,” Link said. “The battery resources complement the addition of more renewable energy by providing the flexibility needed to smooth imbalances between supply and demand. We are excited to add significant storage resources to our system. This type of flexibility is increasingly critical to maintaining reliable service and we anticipate there will be a growing need for a broad range of storage technologies into the future. Taken together, these projects advance our carbon reduction goals and those of our customers while maintaining reliability and affordability.”

For more information, visit www.pacificorp.com.