Oregon to Build One of World's Largest Wind Farms by 2012

October 29th, 2008 by Andrew Williams

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Utility company Southern California Edison (SCE) has confirmed plans to build a massive 909 MW wind farm in Oregon. When completed, the facility will be one of the largest fully permitted wind power sites anywhere in the world.

The installation will be located in Morrow and Gilliam counties in North-Central Oregon, and will consist of 303 3MW wind turbines spread across a 30-mile radius. The project, called Caithness Shepherd’s Flat, will generate around two billion kWh of energy, roughly 10 per cent of SCE’s total alternative energy portfolio.

According to Stuart Hemphill, SCE Vice President, Renewable and Alternative Power, “This contract is a crown jewel in our renewable energy portfolio. The project is attractive to SCE because of its size, near-term delivery and its competitive price.”

The wind-rich area of Oregon has become known as one of the country’s ‘bread-baskets’ of wind energy. When completed, the project will mean that the state joins others such as Texas and California as one of the nation’s leading producers of renewable energy.

Image Credit – Vaxomatic via flickr.com on a Creative Commons license