Wind Power News: Wyoming
These news and opinion items are gathered by National Wind Watch in its noncommercial educational effort 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 project gets planning commission approval
A conversion system permit application for the Rock Creek Wind Project was approved by the Albany County Planning and Zoning Commission this week, sending the project to the Board of County Commissioners. A public hearing before the commission is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Dec. 7. Three planning commission members voted in favor of the permit, with Maura Hanning abstaining from the vote, saying she wanted more information about cumulative impacts to wildlife in the area. Chicago-based Invenergy is proposing the . . . Complete story »
Pumped storage along North Platte could use water to store surplus wind power
Developers of a pumped storage hydropower project planned for Carbon County believe the technology, which has been deployed in the U.S. for nearly a century, could unlock future energy development in Wyoming. Pumped storage has emerged as a possible answer to the inherent variability of wind and solar. It’s a pretty straightforward concept: Surplus energy is used to pump water from a lower reservoir to an upper reservoir, where it’s stored. When more electricity is needed, that water is released, . . . Complete story »
Permitting for wind energy project moves ahead
The Albany County Board of Commissioners declared the proposed Rock Creek Wind Energy Project application complete during a meeting Tuesday evening and scheduled a public hearing on the project for 9:30 a.m. Dec. 7. Chicago-based Invenergy is proposing the 590-megawatt project on mostly private land about 25 miles north of Laramie between Interstate 80 and Rock River. Most of the project, about 37,000 acres, would be located in Albany County, with about 6,000 acres in Carbon County. Albany County Planner . . . Complete story »
Why is a big oil company investing huge amounts of money in Wyoming wind?
Some days, the wind rips across Wyoming’s southern plains at 70mph. Cottonwood trees bend, tall grass lies flat and 18-wheel trucks tip over along Interstate 80. It only takes a breeze of about 6mph to get the long white arms of an electricity-generating wind turbine turning, at full speed they can power thousands of homes. As one of the US’s windiest states, Wyoming has enormous potential to help power the country’s green revolution, but renewable energy in the west has . . . Complete story »
Controversial Rail Tie Wind Project wins county approval
After months of uncertainty and heated public debate, the Albany County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously on Tuesday to grant a key permit to the Rail Tie Wind Project – with a few conditions. The proposed 504 megawatt wind farm would include up to 94 turbines built on private land and another 26 on state land. The entire project area spans nearly 26,000 acres, approximately 80% of which is privately owned. The remaining, state-owned land was an early sticking point for . . . Complete story »
County approves Rail Tie permit application
The Albany County Board of Commissioners voted 3-0 Tuesday night to approve ConnectGen’s application for a wind energy conversion systems permit for the Rail Tie Wind Project. The Rail Tie project calls for 120 turbines on 26,000 acres near Tie Siding, with 94 turbines proposed for private land and the rest on state property. Turbines would be almost 600 feet tall. ConnectGen is also seeking federal and state permits for the project. In giving their approval, commissioners Sue Ibarra and . . . Complete story »
Long road still ahead for Anticline Wind Project after permitting victory
The Anticline Wind Project is one step closer to construction. It still has a long way to go. After five hours of community debate and a good deal of private soul-searching, the Natrona Board of County Commissioners signed off on the proposed wind farm’s conditional siting permit by a vote of 4-1, even after the county’s planning and zoning commission recommended denying the permit last month. “I really didn’t know, until the end, which way it might go,” said county . . . Complete story »
County approves permit for wind farm north of Casper, with some reluctance
CASPER, Wyo. – The Natrona County Commission voted Tuesday to grant Anticline Wind LLC a conditional use permit to build an industrial wind project on private land north of Casper. There project will now undergo an even more rigorous permitting process with the Wyoming Industrial Siting Council. If Anticline’s partner, Enyo Renewable Energy LLC, is able to clear state hurdles and secure funding, construction could begin in late 2024. The commission spent five hours hearing testimony and public comment for and . . . Complete story »
Permitting to begin for Rock Creek Wind Project
The permitting process for the proposed Rock Creek Wind Project is set to begin this summer, and if all goes according to plan, construction on the 590-megawatt project could start as soon as 2023. The project, a proposal of Chicago-based company Invenergy, would be located on mostly private land about 25 miles north of Laramie between Interstate 80 and Rock River. Most of the project, about 37,000 acres, would be located in Albany County, with about 6,000 acres in Carbon . . . Complete story »
Six new wind farms proposed for Wyoming
Six proposed wind farms could add more than 1,600 megawatts of electricity generation capacity to Wyoming’s grid by 2024, according to an announcement this week by utility Rocky Mountain Power’s parent company, PacifiCorp. If built, the 19 wind, solar, battery storage and transmission proposals that made PacifiCorp’s shortlist would span four states with a collective capacity of 3,200 megawatts. The proposals concentrate wind development in Wyoming and Idaho, and solar development, including battery storage, in Utah and Oregon. Nearly 1,000 . . . Complete story »
