Wind Power News: Montana
These news and opinion items are gathered by National Wind Watch to help keep readers informed about developments related to industrial wind energy. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions of National Wind Watch. They are the products of and owned by the organizations or individuals noted and are shared here according to “fair use” and “fair dealing” provisions of copyright law.
Wind farm projects lining up to call hills around south-central Montana town home
In the hills around Rapelje, where jackrabbits far outnumber people, there’s a renewable energy powerhouse in the making. Wind farms, four of them in various stages of development, promise to deliver up to 480 megawatts of capacity just as planned coal power plant retirements in Montana are escalating. There are 80 megawatts of generation spinning at Stillwater Wind, and four projects of similar size on a slow walk through the regulatory process of Montana’s Public Service Commission. A little further . . . Complete story »
NorthWestern Energy power plan heard in Billings
In Billings, the biggest city in Montana coal country, people, a few, finally spoke in support of NorthWestern Energy’s fossil-fuel-heavy plan to keep half the state powered up for the next 20 years. In the final 35 minutes of a two hour hearing about the utility’s 20-year supply plan, witnesses spoke passionately about coal, Colstrip Power Plant and their faith in NorthWestern’s plan to essentially double the generation capacity in its portfolio. The expansion, the utility says, is needed to . . . Complete story »
Next-gen wind farm stalls under PSC terms
A cutting-edge wind farm paired with battery storage cannot advance under what developers are calling unworkable terms set by Montana’s Public Service Commission. Caithness Beaver Creek is asking the state’s utility regulators to reconsider terms for the $500 million project near Rapelje. Terms by which Caithness was to sell renewable energy to the utility NorthWestern Energy were set by the PSC in early December. The PSC put the overall avoided cost of the energy at $6 a megawatt hour effectively . . . Complete story »
Power line easement restricted to Colstrip plants
I recently attended a wind power meeting about a new wind farm. The interesting part of this proposal was that the wind farm was going to have a tie in with the 500 KV lines that runs through our ranch. This caught my ear. I was in on the original negotiations in 1980 with Montana Power. My mother, Mary McFarland White, disliked the power lines and what they stood for and never missed her chance to express a very negative . . . Complete story »
Facebook deal spurs PacifiCorp’s rush to build a Montana wind farm
Facebook, it turns out, is a key reason PacifiCorp moved quickly this year to acquire and begin work on a proposed Montana wind farm that had been kicking around for nearly a decade. The social media giant agreed to buy the renewable energy credits generated by the 239.8 megawatt Pryor Mountain Wind Project, according to a PacifiCorp filing with utility regulators in Oregon. That helped make the project a better deal for PacifiCorp and by extension its ratepayers, about a . . . Complete story »
Climate article didn’t mention important statistics
Your article on wind energy – “Powerhouse” (Oct. 27) – failed to mention two important statistics. According to “Subsidy Tracker,” Invenergy has received subsidies of $41,223,979 from 10 state/local grants and $531,915,559 from nine federal grants since 2010. Sound sustainable? Terry Anderson Bozeman Complete story »
PacifiCorp outlines launch of wind farm near Bridger
Construction crews are in the beginning stages of a $400 million wind farm near Bridger, and the company discussed the Pryor Mountain Wind Project at Bridger Elementary School on Wednesday night. Close to 100 came out to hear from PacifiCorp out of Salt Lake City and Mortenson Construction from Minneapolis. This fall, the crews will build the roads so the heavy trucks and equipment can get around the 15,000 acres. Crews will work until Thanksgiving and if necessary finish the . . . Complete story »
Construction to begin on wind farm near Bridger after approval
Carbon County commissioners on Sept. 5 approved a wind farm about 10 miles southeast of Bridger that has been in the works for almost a decade. Construction is slated to begin in the fall. The project, originally called the Mud Springs Wind Ranch Project, has been renamed the Pryor Mountain Wind Project. The project changed hands several times before Pacificorp bought the farm from Sunrise Wind Holdings LLC in May. The 114-turbine farm will connect with an existing Pacificorp 230-kilovolt . . . Complete story »
Land board OKs lease option for proposed wind farm
HELENA – The state Land Board on Monday approved a five-year option to lease for 3,080 acres in Wheatland and Meagher counties for a company proposing a wind farm in which the Montana School for the Deaf and the Blind is expected to receive a total of $81,620. The agreement was reached with Martinsdale Wind Farm for a proposed development that turns wind into energy. The trust would benefit the Great Falls-based Montana School for the Deaf and the Blind . . . Complete story »
Commissioners pause tax break vote on $500M wind farm
Rosebud County commissioners have hit the pause button on deciding whether a $500 million wind farm warrants a 50% tax abatement. Commissioners tabled a proposal Tuesday to lower taxes on the Clearwater Wind farm to be located near Forsyth. In the works since 2012, 120-turbine farm will generate enough power to electrify 300,000 homes. Developers plan to market the power in the Pacific Northwest by way of the 500-kilovolt power lines servicing the four units of coal-fired Colstrip Power Plant. . . . Complete story »
