March 12, 2007
PGE breaks ground on its first wind farm, in Sherman County
Rate filing estimates less than one percent increase in rates
Portland General Electric Company has broken ground on Phase One of its first fully-owned wind farm, on portions of 25,000 acres of land near Wasco in Sherman County, Ore.
In Phase One, expected to come online in late 2007, PGE will install 76 wind turbines, producing about 125 megawatts of capacity. Ultimately, PGE expects to build between 400 and 450 megawatts of wind capacity in three phases — enough to supply power to about 100,000 homes.
On March 2, PGE filed with the Oregon Public Utility Commission (OPUC), requesting authority to add the costs and benefits of the Biglow Canyon Wind Project into rates, beginning Jan. 1, 2008.
“We are pleased to be able to bring this new renewable resource into PGE’s portfolio with a very small impact on prices,” said Pamela Lesh, PGE Vice President for Regulatory Affairs and Strategic Planning. “We estimate the net increase from the project at less than one percent overall.”
The construction costs of the Biglow project will be partially offset in PGE’s rates by the relatively low cost of the power it generates — power that PGE might otherwise have to generate from more expensive sources or purchase from other suppliers. Wind power plants are expensive to construct on a per-megawatt basis, but relatively inexpensive to operate because, as with hydroelectric plants, they require no purchased fuel.
Total project costs for the first phase will be approximately $260 million. The rate application with the OPUC seeks an increase in annual revenue requirements of approximately $13 million, or 0.8 percent.
Vestas Wind Systems will supply the wind turbines and D.H. Blattner and Sons will serve as general contractor for Phase One.
PGE has long-term contracts in place to purchase power produced by the Klondike II and Vansycle Ridge wind farms in central and eastern Oregon. The Biglow Canyon project was developed by Orion Energy LLC and will be built, owned and operated by PGE.
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About Portland General Electric Company
Portland General Electric, headquartered in Portland, Ore., is a fully integrated electric utility that serves 793,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers in Oregon.
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Source: Portland General Electric Company
For more information, contact:
Steve Corson, PGE,
503-464-8444
