The US Department of Energy is to provide a partial guarantee for a $1.3 billion loan supporting one of the world’s largest wind farms. Energy Secretary Steven Chu has approved a conditional commitment to provide the partial guarantee, to help finance the Caithness Shepherds Flat wind project in eastern Oregon.
The 845-megawatt wind farm is being developed by New York-based independent power producer Caithness Energy with the backing of General Electric Energy Financial Services. Once complete, it will comprise 338 wind turbines located immediately south of the Columbia River in north-central Oregon, on approximately 32,000 acres in Gilliam and Morrow counties.
It will be the first wind farm in North America to use 2.5xl wind turbines from manufacturer GE. “Thanks to the Recovery Act, we are creating the clean energy jobs of the future while positioning the US as a world leader in the production of renewable energy,” said Secretary Chu. “This project is part of the Administration’s commitment to doubling our renewable energy generation by 2012 while putting Americans to work in communities across the country.”
As well as creating 400 construction jobs and 35 permanent operational jobs, the wind farm is expected to avoid 1.2 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions by displacing conventional power, equivalent to taking 212,141 cars off the road.
The project is the largest to date to receive a loan guarantee offer from the Department of Energy’s Financial Institution Partnership Program. The program involves the Department guaranteeing up to 80% of a loan provided by qualified financial institutions.
CANADIAN PROGRESSION
Demand drives small wind market growth
The Canadian market for small wind energy systems is growing rapidly according to a new market study conducted for the Canadian Wind Energy Association (CanWEA). The market survey shows that annual sales for small wind energy systems in Canada have grown by 55 per cent over the past two years, despite the global economic downturn.
At the same time, Canadian small wind manufacturing capacity has grown, with Canadian firms now representing over half of the world’s manufacturers of mid-size turbines. Small wind systems have a rated capacity of 300 kW or less, and are used to power homes, farms, small businesses and off-grid communities.
