PGEÂ’s Biglow Canyon Wind Farm expanding daily

PORTLAND, OREGON - Portland General Electric Company (PGE) announced that the first turbines erected for phase two of its Biglow Canyon Wind Farm have begun generating electricity and supplying power on the Pacific NorthwestÂ’s electricity grid.

“This major capital investment is moving forward on time and on budget,” said Jim Piro, PGE president and CEO. “Our customers place a high priority on renewable power, and Biglow Canyon is an important step toward helping PGE meet Oregon’s Renewable Energy Standard.”

Phase one of Biglow Canyon was completed in 2007, with 76 turbines and an installed capacity of 125 megawatts of electricity. Trucks laden with wind-turbine parts for this second phase began rolling into Biglow in mid-April. A total of 65 new turbines are scheduled for completion this spring and summer — with about 10 truckloads of parts delivered per wind turbine. Twelve turbines are currently generating power.

Each of the new turbines will be capable of generating up to 2.3 megawatts, bringing Biglow CanyonÂ’s combined installed capacity to nearly 275 megawatts by the end of 2009. A third phase with another 76 turbines is slated for commercial operation in 2010, which will bring the wind farm to a combined installed capacity of 450 megawatts.

Given the variability of wind power, the plant is expected to produce an average of around 150 megawatts – enough to power the homes of about 125,000 average PGE residential customers.

The Biglow Canyon Wind Farm is located near Wasco in Sherman County, Ore. It is PGEÂ’s newest renewable energy project. When complete, it is expected to be one of the largest wind power facilities in the Pacific Northwest. In addition to providing carbon-free and emissions-free generation of electric power, the wind farm is also creating jobs, providing income for local businesses, generating tax revenues for local government, and providing easement payments to landowners.

The Biglow Canyon project was developed by Orion Energy LLC. It is being built by PGE, which will also own and operate it.