Wind Power News: Washington
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.
Energy sprawl threatens Kittitas County tourism
Kittitas County has an award-winning tourism sector. Yet the county will struggle to reap the benefits of recent investments when the state’s energy siting council approves its fourth energy project in the Kittitas valley just north of downtown Ellensburg. A French multinational corporation just asked the council to approve 31 giant turbines. At almost 500 feet, nearly as tall as Seattle’s Space Needle, these will be the tallest seen on U.S. soil. Spanning 4,400 acres along Highway 97, this energy . . . Complete story »
Klickitat County wind-water power project on Columbia River moving forward
GOLDENDALE, Wash. – A proposed $2.5 billion renewable energy project on the Columbia River in Klickitat County may yet be developed. The concept of building large reservoirs and a hydroelectric generating facility to take advantage of the region’s variable wind power has been around nearly a decade, but has struggled to find financial backing. The project was put on hold in late 2015 after federal regulators denied Klickitat County PUD’s request to renew its preliminary permit a third time, saying it . . . Complete story »
Service seeks public comment on proposed wind facility
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is seeking public comment as part of the development of an Environmental Impact Statement for a proposed wind energy project in Lewis and Thurston counties. Comments may be submitted through June 4, 2018. The proposed Skookumchuck Wind Energy Project would consist of up to 38 commercial wind turbines and associated infrastructure. Skookumchuck Wind Energy Project, LLC intends to submit a Habitat Conservation Plan in support of an Incidental Take Permit for the federally listed . . . 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 »
EFSEC hears update on Desert Claim wind project
The state’s Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council heard a update on a proposal to reduce the size of the Desert Claim wind project near Ellensburg on Tuesday, but didn’t take action. The project was originally approved for site certification in 2010 to develop 95 wind turbines on approximately 5,200 acres, with the capability to produce 190 megawatts of electricity. In February, Desert Claim Wind Power LLC submitted an amendment request to EFSEC to build a smaller project that would use . . . Complete story »
EFSEC to meet Tuesday in Ellensburg
The Washington Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council will meet at 1:30 p.m., Tuesday at the Kittitas County Event Center. Included on the agenda are discussions of the TUUSSO Energy solar wind farm proposals and the Desert Claim wind farm. TUUSSO Energy applied for a site certification agreement from EFSEC to construct and operate five solar arrays and two generation tie lines in Kittitas County. Collectively the installations would span 200 acres of leased land and are known as the Columbia . . . Complete story »
Proposal would reduce size of Desert Claim wind farm
A not-yet-built wind farm north of Ellensburg may be smaller than earlier proposed. Desert Claim Wind Power LLC, which is owned and managed by EDF Renewable Energy, has filed an application with the state Energy Site Facility Evaluation Council to build a smaller project. The wind power project was approved in 2010 by then Gov. Chris Gregoire, but never built. It originally was slated to have 95 turbines. An amendment request filed with the state last week proposes a smaller . . . 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 »
Carbon tax fails — again — in Washington
Dive Brief: Washington Gov. Jay Inslee’s proposed carbon tax has stalled again, this time because the measure lacked enough votes in the state Senate, where Democrats hold an advantage. Proposed in January, the tax would have been set initially at $20/ton, rising annually by an inflation-adjusted 3.5%. The tax would have brought in more than $3 billion over the next four years, bill supporters estimated. While Inslee and supporters of the tax are confident there will eventually be a cost on . . . Complete story »
Lawmakers from 9 states vow to put a price on carbon
Dive Brief: Lawmakers in nine states have formed a coalition to strengthen their efforts at tackling climate issues at the state level, seeking to put a price on carbon dioxide emissions while searching for market-based solutions. Only California has an economy-wide tax on carbon, and some form of that appears to be where the coalition is headed – even if all of the states involved are not on board. Vermont Gov. Phil Scott (R) is opposed to a carbon tax and this . . . Complete story »
