The Biglow Canyon Wind Farm is a wind power project PGE is building in three phases. Phase 1 began fully operating in December 2007 with 76 turbines; phase 2 came online in August 2009 with 65 turbines. The wind farm now has a generating capacity of 275 megawatts. The addition of 76 turbines in phase 3 planned for 2010 will bring the total generating capacity to between 400 and 450 megawatts, enough to power about 125,000 homes.
Biglow Canyon will help PGE satisfy Oregon’s renewable energy standard, which requires the utility to meet 15 percent of its load with renewable resources by 2015 and 25 percent by 2025. About 4 percent of our energy mix currently comes from wind farms — Biglow Canyon, plus power PGE purchases on contract from the Klondike II and Vansycle Ridge wind farms.
For more information, see Biglow Facts and our news release on the completion of phase 2.
The Biglow site is located about 140 miles east of Portland in Sherman County and is PGE’s first wholly owned and operated wind farm. Part of the cost of the project is being offset by the Energy Trust of Oregon, Inc., which is contributing $6 million.
Creating more than just power
In addition to generating power for PGE customers, the wind farm is expected to create jobs, provide income for local businesses, generate future tax revenues and provide easement payments to landowners.
The Biglow Canyon project was developed by Orion Energy LLC and is being built by PGE, which will own and operate the project.
PGE’s renewable power leadership
PGE’s leadership in renewable power began in the late 1990s. Today, the company leads the nation in kilowatt hours of green power sold to residential customers, according to the latest figures from the U.S. Department of Energy.
Other leadership highlights:
- 1998 − PGE agrees to purchase the entire output of Oregon’s first major wind farm, Vansycle Ridge, in Umatilla County, Oregon
- 1999 − PGE becomes one of the first utilities to offer a renewable power product to customers
- 2005 − PGE begins purchasing the entire output of the new Klondike II Wind Farm, located in Sherman County
- 2006 − PGE named “Green Power Program of the Year” by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy
- 2007 − PGE’s largest hydro project, Pelton-Round Butte on the Deschutes River, is officially certified as producing green power
- 2007 − PGE breaks ground on Biglow Canyon Wind Farm