Portland General Electric’s Biglow Canyon Wind Farm Now Generating Power

Portland General Electric Company (PGE) (NYSE:POR) has announced 24 wind turbines at the Biglow Canyon Wind Farm are now generating electricity and supplying power to the Pacific Northwest’s grid.

According to a company press release, the $1 billion, Oregon wind farm is PGE’s first fully-owned wind power facility and is PGE’s largest renewable energy project to date. Energy Trust of Oregon, Inc., is contributing $6 million to the wind farm project, which is located about 140 miles east of Portland.

The Biglow Canyon Wind Farm project is taking place in three phases:

1. Phase 1 of the project began operating in 2007 with 76 turbines.
2. Phase 2 began operating in August 2009 with 65 wind turbines.
3. 76 wind turbines will be added during Phase 3 of the project, which is expected to be complete by the end of September.

The Siemens wind turbines used in Phase 3 stand 415 feet tall from base to tip, weigh 340 tons and have a generating capacity of 2.3 MW.  The combined generating capacity of all three phases will be between 400 and 450-megawatts. When the Biglow Canyon Wind Farm is completed, it is expected to produce enough to power about 125,000 homes.

Phase 3 of the project created about 150 jobs. And according to PGE President and CEO, Jim Piro, the 450 MW wind farm is on time and on budget.

PGE is not only constructing the farm, but will own and maintain it as well. Orion Energy LLC. developed the project.   Years in the making, the “road to Biglow has been a 10-year journey to a cleaner, more sustainable future.”
 

Learn more about Wind Power on eBooms Wind Energy Learning Page.