300-MW Wind Farm Proposed for Belvoir Ranch

December 12th, 2011 by Nicholas Brown

The Morley Company of Jackson Hole is proposing the construction of a 300-MW (300,000-kW) wind farm on Belvoir Ranch, which is 6 miles west of the city of Cheyenne, Wyoming. It would consist of 120 wind turbines.

Morley Company CEO Bruce Morley said that Cheyenne won’t be required to invest any money into the project, and that the wind farm will benefit the city greatly. According to the CEO, the city of Cheyenne could make $72 million to $130 million by leasing land for the wind farm to Morley.

Morley said that there are factors that could delay the construction of the wind farm, such as the national political scene and, specifically, whether or not tax credits for wind farms will be renewed.

He also said that he could not guarantee the construction of the wind farm for the next three years, because it requires that transmission lines be constructed to transmit power from the farm to the electricity grid.

“We need to be able to move the energy from where it is produced to where it is consumed,” Morley said.

Morley said that there are six transmission line projects being developed in Wyoming at the moment and that the Wyoming Infrastructure Authority is doing a great job of developing the transmission lines in the state, though, so the eventual construction of necessary transmission lines is likely.

He also added that the construction of a wind farm would increase the likelihood that a wind-turbine-parts factory would be constructed in the area, to manufacture various parts for the turbines, implying that the factory would create numerous jobs, which is, of course, much-needed.

h/t WyomingNews.com | Photo Credit: imotov

Keep up to date with all the hottest cleantech news by subscribing to our (free) cleantech newsletter, or keep an eye on sector-specific news by getting our (also free) solar energy newsletter, electric vehicle newsletter, or wind energy newsletter.

Tags: 2011 wyoming wind farm, belvoir ranch developments, belvoir ranch wind farm, renewable energy projects, wind energy wyoming, wyoming wind projects

About the Author

Nicholas Brown writes on CleanTechnica, Gas2, Kleef&Co, and Green Building Elements. He has a keen interest in physics-intensive topics such as electricity generation, refrigeration and air conditioning technology, energy storage, and geography. His website is: Kompulsa.com.

Anonymous

Not only does it need transmission, but it also needs a power purchase agreement. It’s not a simple matter to sell a 300 MW wind project, particularly to a market like California that is becoming more closed to imports. Colorado’s also been inclined to buy it’s wind from in-state. Some of the new transmission mentioned is DC transmission, whose use will mean a higher price for the wind. That’s why the use of pumped storage in Wyoming may be essential.