Consultancy to serve on 2.1 GW Wyoming wind farm

 

A renewable-energy consultancy, Natural Power, has been selected to provide Owner’s Engineering services during the resource assessment and project design stages of a 2.1 GW wind farm in southeastern Wyoming, being developed by Pathfinder Renewable Wind Energy (Pathfinder). Natural Power will provide technical guidance in the areas of wind resource assessment and project design as well as maintaining responsibility for the planning and execution of an extensive wind-resource monitoring and data management.

Pathfinder owns and operates Wyoming’s Pathfinder Ranch and is developing new wind- generation assets. The company has expanded power transmission to markets in Southwestern US. Natural Power’s wind farm design and resource analysis experts are said to offer comprehensive, independent advisory services to help deliver a project that is financeable, constructible, and operable. Pathfinder says its wind energy vision is based on an appreciation for Wyoming’s rural economies, communities, wildlife, and cultural resources.

Natural Power
www.naturalpower.com

Why develop wind in Wyoming

Wyoming is one of the top wind sites in the U.S., according to an NREL report “Wind Powering America.” The state is home to one of the oldest developed wind sites in the region,  Medicine Bow  online since 1982. Here, the Department of Energy funded research of wind energy production, particularly from large turbines.

The state has come a long way since then. As Wyoming Wind and Power LLC reports, the state has 1,100 MW of installed wind generation as of 2010 and its existing wind capacity ranks twelfth in the U.S. Yet the state ranks even higher, seventh, in potential wind capacity. The state has the potential to produce a whopping 227,664 MW of wind energy, enough power for 68.3 million homes. Wyoming is also home to more than 2/3 of the most productive onshore wind (class 7) in the country, but less than 1% of that energy potential has been developed.

Those who haven’t developed in Wyoming are missing out on a big opportunity. Not only does the state have ample wind resources, but recent projects and political decisions have made the state even more attractive to developers. Its proximity to railways and interstates catches the eye of those interested in building manufacturing facilities. Components made there will go to OEMs that will supply turbines to wind-farm developers who will put them to use, turning the state’s prevalent resource into power homes and business can use.

In a country were many transmission lines are outdated, getting wind power to those who will use it has been a problem, but not in Wyoming. The state plans to originate more than 15,000 MW of new capacity with six transmission lines in the next ten years. Those lines will bring Wyoming’s wind power to states such as California and Arizona that need green power to fulfill their renewable energy requirements. Wyoming politicians are also paying attention to wind, evident by many pieces of legislation that have passed through the House in the last few months. Officials recognize the state’s energy assets and are working with wind-industry representatives to make the legal system friendly to wind.

Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead recently expressed his support of wind energy. “The regulatory environment is a priority for me,” he said in an emailed comment to the Billings Gazette. “It needs to be certain, predictable, and reasonable. I feel there are collateral benefits from wind power, like keeping ranchers in ranching, giving a boost to our natural gas industry, and improving the electrical transmission infrastructure. We have world-class wind resources here in Wyoming and we need to match the regulatory environment to those resources and that will make it easy for me to go out and promote our wind power industry.”

Politicians pay attention to wind

There have been many developments in Wyoming’s wind legislation. Though not all bills have passed, they have created a conversation between wind-industry representatives and state officials, who know the economic potential of their state’s wind resource and so are paying attention. Their discussions center mostly around these topics:

Taxes
The Wyoming House of Representatives recently considered a bill that would have tripled the state’s tax on wind-power generation from $1 to $3/MW. Existing wind farms would pay the $1/MWh excise tax when it takes effect in 2012. A sales tax exemption on renewable-energy equipment is set to expire at the end of this year. Those in the wind industry supported the bill, which would also have ended the state sales tax on equipment used in wind farm construction. It would also have changed the way that tax revenue would be distributed and create a $15 million impact-assistance account to help local governments pay for infrastructure costs associated with wind energy projects. Supporters said the proposal would bring in more revenue for state and local governments than the current tax system.

However, the bill failed to pass. Opponents expressed concern about letting an industry still reliant on federal subsidies pay taxes over a number of years instead of up front. However, that doesn’t mean officials who voted against the bill were voting against wind development. State Rep. Jeb Steward  disputed claims by some wind groups that shooting down the legislation would deter wind companies from building projects in Wyoming. “Let’s not talk about hypothetical situations. Nobody’s packing their bags and moving out of Wyoming. We just got the best wind in the country.”

Eminent domain extension
The House recently approved a proposed two-year extension of the state’s moratorium on wind developers’ eminent-domain powers. The eminent-domain-extension legislation, House Bill 230, passed the House 53-6 without debate. Some lawmakers said allowing the current one-year moratorium to expire on June 30 would raise landowners’ wariness of eminent domain when dealing with wind developers on land leases to build collector lines. Other legislators said they needed more time to study the issue. Still, other lawmakers questioned why the state should prohibit wind developers from using eminent domain when other industries are still allowed to employ such powers.

Wind property rights bill
A proposal that would prevent landowners from selling wind rights separate from the rest of the property recently passed the House. Senate File 22 would designate wind as a property right similar to surface and mineral rights. Landowners can set up wind energy agreements with developers, and the lease would be canceled if wind generation stops long enough or development never occurs. The Wyoming Tribune Eagle reports the state Senate must agree with changes made by the House before the bill can head to the governor’s desk.

Right to know
Landowners would be able to get more information about wind development on their property under a bill advancing at the Wyoming Capitol. A House committee backed Senate Bill 58 recently, sending it to the full House for consideration. The Wyoming Tribune Eagle says the bill would give landowners the right to know about the development process for wind turbines and collector systems. Opponents say neighboring landowners could also be affected and may want the same information.

NREL study says wind could bring in big dough

Wind could do great things to boost Wyoming’s economy, according to a recent NREL study. Analysts there have examined the economic impact of wind development in the state, on behalf of the Wyoming infrastructure Authority. The study considered factors such as power line construction and the growth of natural gas power production used to back up wind energy sources. According to analysts, this development would create 47,000 jobs and provide $2.6 billion in wages and benefits. Over all, the development could add as much as $5.1 billion to state’s economy.

Researchers expect wind jobs, wages, and spending to peak in 2016 and again 2019. However, as projects phase into normal operations the economic impact will flatten out. Also, when considering construction and 20 years of operation, wind energy investments could boost the state’s economy to between $12 billion and $15 billion. Bottom line: there is certainly potential for in-state manufacturing, education, and job training.

Manufacturers head to Cheyenne

Spain-based, wind-tower manufacturer Gestamp Renewables already has manufacturing facilities in Turkey and Brazil. But the company is looking to build their first North American facility, and sees Wyoming as the perfect spot. Gestamp has partnered with Ohio-based Worthington Industries, Inc. to create a joint venture, Gestamp Worthington Wind Steel, LLC. Together, they will produce towers for wind turbines constructed in the North American market. The initial production facility will stand on 30 acres in Cheyenne, and could employ as many as 150 people when fully operational.

The proposed facility will produce utility-scale towers for 2 to 3-MW wind turbines. The partners plan to begin shipments of 80 to 100-ft long tower sections in early 2012. Initial plans call for production of more than 300 towers per year. The joint venture will generally serve as a subcontractor to manufacture the towers for OEMs.

Wyoming’s good location relative to the growing western U.S. renewable energy market makes  the state attractive to many manufacturing companies. Gestamp’s plant will stand in the Cheyenne Logistics Hub near two major rail lines and the intersection of two interstate highways. The state’s Governor Matt Mead says he welcomes the two companies and the manufacturing jobs they will bring. “Wyoming has created a great environment for business and continues its national leadership in the energy sector,” he says.

On the path to another wind project

Developer Pathfinder Renewable Energy plans to build the largest wind energy program in southeast Wyoming. GE will supply 1,200 high-altitude turbines suitable for the state’s high plains where the thinner air doesn’t provide the kinetic energy of lower altitudes. The 100,000-acre project would sprawl over leased land on each side of Interstate 25 near Chugwater, an area with strong winds that are expected to begin generating 2,100 MW per year by 2016.

Also, Pathfinder is working with TransCanada, Horizon, and BP to build a $3 billion, 1,000-mile Zephyr transmission line. The companies plan to take advantage of California’s mandate that 33% of its energy come from renewable resources by 2020.  Together, the wind project and transmission line will cost $10 billion. Company executives say the capacity factor of the wind in the area is about 40%, which they will supplement the wind with natural gas for a reliability of about 97%.

Linking the West with wind

What good is producing wind energy if you can’t get it to people who will use it? Transmission lines are the critical link between generation facilities and the market place, and Wyoming’s got them. According to the Wyoming Infrastructure Authority, there are about 15,000 MW of new transmission capacity in development bringing power generated the state to load centers in the western states such as California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, and Colorado.  This development represents a potential $30 billion investment in transmission and generation facilities.

There are currently six major transmission projects under development in Wyoming:

TransWest Express: a 600-kV DC transmission line that offers the shortest way to bring the state’s renewable power to people in the Desert Southwest, an area comprising parts of California, Arizona, and Nevada. 3,000-MW line will span 725 miles.

Energy Gateway: designed as double-circuit and single-circuit 500-kV AC and some single-circuit 230-kV AC transmission lines between Wyoming and Idaho (Gateway West), and Wyoming and Utah (Gateway South). The lines will have a total capacity of 4,500 MW and span 2,000 miles.

Wyoming-Colorado Intertie: a 345-kV AC transmission line between Wyoming and Colorado will deliver wind resources to the Front Range, a highly-populated area in Colorado, at a competitive price. The 850-MW line will span 180 miles.

High Plains Express: a 500-kV double-circuit AC transmission line between Wyoming and Arizona with on-ramps and off-ramps in Colorado and New Mexico. The 3,500-MW line will span more than 1,200 miles.

Zephyr: a 500-kV HVDC transmission line between Wyoming and Nevada via Idaho. It will span more than 1,000 miles and have a capacity of 3,000 MW.

Overland Transmission: a 500-kV DC transmission line between Wyoming and Idaho will connect with LS Powers’ SWIP line. It will span more than 500 miles and have a capacity of 3,000 MW.

Strong wind, weak policy in Wyoming