Shepherds Flat Wind Farm
Encyclopedia
The Shepherds Flat Wind Farm is an 845 megawatt (MW) wind farm
under construction in Oregon
, United States. The project is located in Eastern Oregon
in both Morrow
and Gilliam
counties, near Arlington
. Approved in 2008 by state regulators, groundbreaking came in 2009. The wind farm is being built by Caithness Energy using General Electric
(GE) 2.5 MW wind turbine
s, and it will supply electricity to Southern California Edison
.
In April, 2011, Google
announced they had invested $100 million in the project. The wind farm is estimated to have an economic impact of $16 million annually for Oregon. It is projected to be the largest land-based wind farm in the world when completed in 2012.
in both Morrow
and Gilliam
counties, with the majority of the turbines to be in Gilliam County. Oregon provided tax incentives to the developer to help land the facility, but the project is expected to provide Gilliam County with about $5 million annually in taxes and fees when it is operating. Shepherds Flat is entirely on private property approximately 5 miles (8 km) southeast of the city of Arlington between Oregon Route 19
and Oregon Route 74
. Construction on the project is expected to employ 400 people to build 90 miles (144.8 km) of power lines and 85 miles (136.8 km) of roads on the 30 mi2 wind farm.
Plans for the project first came in 2002 for a 105 megawatt project, with the plan changed to larger project in 2004. The project was then submitted to the state in 2006 with plans to have the first phase online in 2008. Early plans called for 303 turbines and a generating capacity of 909 megawatts. At the time, it would have doubled the capacity for wind-generated power in Oregon. The farm is divided into several sections, with the Willow Creek Wind Farm between two of the larger segments.
Approved in 2008 by state regulators, groundbreaking came in 2009. The project design now includes 338 GE2.5XL turbines built by GE Wind Energy, each with a capacity to produce 2.5 megawatts, and used for the first time in USA. These turbines and a ten-year service contract cost a total of $1.4 billion, the largest expense on the estimated $2 billion project. In December 2010, the Department of Energy
(DOE) offered a $1.3 billion loan guarantee for the project. The insurance fee for the loan guarantee would be paid from federal stimulus money through the Financial Institution Partnership Program. Generating capacity will be 845 megawatts, producing an estimated 2 billion kW·h each year, enough to provide electricity to 235,000 homes. Once operational, the facility will have about 35 permanent employees. It is anticipated to be the largest wind farm on land at the time it is completed, with larger wind farms planned elsewhere set to surpass Shepherds Flat in later years. The wind farm is estimated to have an economic impact of $16 million annually for Oregon.
In April, 2011, Google
announced they had invested $100 million in the project, part of a $500 million investment package announced by GE and including as investors, also, subsidiaries of Itochu
Corp. and Sumitomo Corp..
Wind farm
A wind farm is a group of wind turbines in the same location used to produce electric power. A large wind farm may consist of several hundred individual wind turbines, and cover an extended area of hundreds of square miles, but the land between the turbines may be used for agricultural or other...
under construction in Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, United States. The project is located in Eastern Oregon
Eastern Oregon
Eastern Oregon is the eastern part of the U.S. state of Oregon. It is not an officially recognized geographic entity, thus the boundaries of the region vary according to context. It is sometimes understood to include only the eight easternmost counties in the state; in other contexts, it includes...
in both Morrow
Morrow County, Oregon
Morrow County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oregon, on the south side of the Columbia River. It is included in the 8 county definition of Eastern Oregon. The county is named for one of its first white settlers, Jackson L. Morrow, who was a member of the state legislature when the county...
and Gilliam
Gilliam County, Oregon
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 1,915 people, 819 households, and 543 families residing in the county. The population density was 2 people per square mile . There were 1,043 housing units at an average density of 1 per square mile...
counties, near Arlington
Arlington, Oregon
Arlington is a city in Gilliam County, Oregon, United States. The account of how this city received its name varies: one tradition claims it was named after the lawyer Nathan Arlington Cornish; another tradition claims that the Southern inhabitants of this city had enough clout to rename the city...
. Approved in 2008 by state regulators, groundbreaking came in 2009. The wind farm is being built by Caithness Energy using General Electric
General Electric
General Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
(GE) 2.5 MW wind turbine
Wind turbine
A wind turbine is a device that converts kinetic energy from the wind into mechanical energy. If the mechanical energy is used to produce electricity, the device may be called a wind generator or wind charger. If the mechanical energy is used to drive machinery, such as for grinding grain or...
s, and it will supply electricity to Southern California Edison
Southern California Edison
Southern California Edison , the largest subsidiary of Edison International , is the primary electricity supply company for much of Southern California, USA. It provides 14 million people with electricity...
.
In April, 2011, Google
Google
Google Inc. is an American multinational public corporation invested in Internet search, cloud computing, and advertising technologies. Google hosts and develops a number of Internet-based services and products, and generates profit primarily from advertising through its AdWords program...
announced they had invested $100 million in the project. The wind farm is estimated to have an economic impact of $16 million annually for Oregon. It is projected to be the largest land-based wind farm in the world when completed in 2012.
Details
The project is located in Eastern OregonEastern Oregon
Eastern Oregon is the eastern part of the U.S. state of Oregon. It is not an officially recognized geographic entity, thus the boundaries of the region vary according to context. It is sometimes understood to include only the eight easternmost counties in the state; in other contexts, it includes...
in both Morrow
Morrow County, Oregon
Morrow County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oregon, on the south side of the Columbia River. It is included in the 8 county definition of Eastern Oregon. The county is named for one of its first white settlers, Jackson L. Morrow, who was a member of the state legislature when the county...
and Gilliam
Gilliam County, Oregon
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 1,915 people, 819 households, and 543 families residing in the county. The population density was 2 people per square mile . There were 1,043 housing units at an average density of 1 per square mile...
counties, with the majority of the turbines to be in Gilliam County. Oregon provided tax incentives to the developer to help land the facility, but the project is expected to provide Gilliam County with about $5 million annually in taxes and fees when it is operating. Shepherds Flat is entirely on private property approximately 5 miles (8 km) southeast of the city of Arlington between Oregon Route 19
Oregon Route 19
Oregon Route 19 is an Oregon state highway in the north-central part of the state. It runs from Interstate 84 at Arlington in the Columbia River Gorge to a junction with U.S. Route 26 in Grant County, near the Sheep Rock Unit of the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument. Oregon Route 19 is the...
and Oregon Route 74
Oregon Route 74
Oregon Route 74 is an Oregon, U.S. state highway running from Interstate 84 in Gilliam County to U.S. Route 395 in Umatilla County. OR 74 is known as the Heppner Highway No. 52...
. Construction on the project is expected to employ 400 people to build 90 miles (144.8 km) of power lines and 85 miles (136.8 km) of roads on the 30 mi2 wind farm.
Plans for the project first came in 2002 for a 105 megawatt project, with the plan changed to larger project in 2004. The project was then submitted to the state in 2006 with plans to have the first phase online in 2008. Early plans called for 303 turbines and a generating capacity of 909 megawatts. At the time, it would have doubled the capacity for wind-generated power in Oregon. The farm is divided into several sections, with the Willow Creek Wind Farm between two of the larger segments.
Approved in 2008 by state regulators, groundbreaking came in 2009. The project design now includes 338 GE2.5XL turbines built by GE Wind Energy, each with a capacity to produce 2.5 megawatts, and used for the first time in USA. These turbines and a ten-year service contract cost a total of $1.4 billion, the largest expense on the estimated $2 billion project. In December 2010, the Department of Energy
United States Department of Energy
The United States Department of Energy is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government concerned with the United States' policies regarding energy and safety in handling nuclear material...
(DOE) offered a $1.3 billion loan guarantee for the project. The insurance fee for the loan guarantee would be paid from federal stimulus money through the Financial Institution Partnership Program. Generating capacity will be 845 megawatts, producing an estimated 2 billion kW·h each year, enough to provide electricity to 235,000 homes. Once operational, the facility will have about 35 permanent employees. It is anticipated to be the largest wind farm on land at the time it is completed, with larger wind farms planned elsewhere set to surpass Shepherds Flat in later years. The wind farm is estimated to have an economic impact of $16 million annually for Oregon.
In April, 2011, Google
Google
Google Inc. is an American multinational public corporation invested in Internet search, cloud computing, and advertising technologies. Google hosts and develops a number of Internet-based services and products, and generates profit primarily from advertising through its AdWords program...
announced they had invested $100 million in the project, part of a $500 million investment package announced by GE and including as investors, also, subsidiaries of Itochu
ITOCHU
, until 1992 "C. Itoh" in English, is a Japanese general trading concern based in Umeda, Kita-ku, Osaka and Aoyama, Minato, Tokyo. It has a common origin with Marubeni Corporation. Itochu is a Fortune 500 company.-History:...
Corp. and Sumitomo Corp..
Criticisms
There are concerns that have been raised by taxpayer watchdog groups and various blogs. They point out that large private ranch owners in the area will receive up to $12,000 annually per turbine leased on their land while they have already received tens of millions of dollars in U.S. government subsidies over the years and then benefiting from taxpayer subsidies of the wind energy industry. Some local ranchers due to benefit or already benefiting from the partially government subsidized wind energy projects were published as receiving nearly $1 million in government agricultural subsidies in 2008 alone.See also
- Biglow Canyon Wind FarmBiglow Canyon Wind FarmBiglow Canyon Wind Farm is an electricity generating wind farm facility in Sherman County, Oregon, United States. It is owned by Portland, Oregon, based Portland General Electric and began operations in 2007. With the completion of phase 3 of the project it has a generating capacity of 450 megawatts...
- Wind power in the United StatesWind power in the United StatesAs of the third quarter of 2011, the cumulative installed capacity of wind power in the United States was 43,461 megawatts , making it second in the world, behind China. In 2010 wind power accounted for 2.3% of the electricity generated in the United States...
- Wind power in OregonWind power in OregonThe U.S. state of Oregon has vast wind energy resources. Many projects are under way, most of them in rural Eastern Oregon and near the Columbia River Gorge.-Legislative actions:...
- List of onshore wind farms