Avangrid Oregon wind farm begins operations, will power 60,000 homes

2881

Avangrid Renewables recently announced that it began operations April 29 at its 200 MW Golden Hills wind farm in Sherman County, Oregon. The facility will provide enough clean, renewable electricity to Puget Sound Energy (PSE) to power more than 60,000 homes annually.

Avangrid’s 200 Golden Hills wind farm in Sherman County, Oregon, will provide enough clean, renewable electricity to Puget Sound Energy to power more than 60,000 homes annually. (Courtesy: Avangrid Renewables)

“Delivering on this project represents an important milestone for Avangrid Renewables as we continue to build on our robust portfolio of projects in the Pacific Northwest region and advance our position as a leading renewable energy developer in the U.S.,” said Jose Antonio Miranda, Avangrid Renewables’ president and CEO, Onshore. “We are pleased to work with Puget Sound Energy to help it meet its ambitious goals to reduce emissions and provide clean, reliable power to its customers.”

The project will help PSE meet its goals to reduce carbon dioxide emissions while providing additional capacity to serve customers, particularly during winter periods of high electricity demand. The project is Avangrid Renewables’ seventh wind project in Sherman County, 11th in Oregon, and 14th in the Pacific Northwest.

“We are excited for this next step and what this partnership with Avangrid Renewables means as we continue to build on our history of championing renewable energy in the Pacific Northwest,” said Ron Roberts, PSE vice president of energy supply. “This new wind project will enable us to expand our efforts toward providing clean, reliable electric service to all of our customers as we work together to create a clean energy future for all.”

The addition of the Golden Hills wind project increases PSE’s owned and contracted wind fleet to more than 1,150 MW.

The Golden Hills Wind Farm is near the town of Wasco, Oregon. The project includes 41 Vestas V150 4.3 MW turbines and 10 GE 116 2.5 MW turbines. The farm is spread across about 28,000 acres of grazing and dry-land wheat farmland held by 37 landowners. Avangrid Renewables started construction on the project in May 2020.

The project will employ about 13 full-time employees and is expected to deliver more than $220 million in landowner payments and local taxes over the lifetime of the project.

More info www.avangridrenewables.com