ROCK SPRINGS -- Wind power development in southwest Wyoming got a step closer Wednesday with the release of a long-awaited environmental study of Sweetwater County's first major commercial wind energy project.
The Bureau of Land Management's environmental assessment looks at Teton Wind, LCC's proposed White Mountain Wind Energy project. Teton Wind is a wholly owned subsidiary of Lehi, Utah-based Tasco Engineering, Inc.
Tasco is spearheading the county's first substantial wind energy project after successfully building several wind development projects in neighboring Uinta County in recent years.
The company wants to construct up to 240 wind turbines on top of an escarpment known as White Mountain as part of a 360-megawatt electrical generating facility.
Project costs could reach as high as $200 million, according to company estimates, depending on the final number of turbines constructed.
If costs top $170 million, that could trigger a review by the Wyoming Industrial Siting Council of the socioeconomic and environmental impacts of the project.
The EA said the facility could provide approximately 1 million megawatt hours of electricity annually. The electricity would move through an existing 230-kilowatt power line that already runs along the top of White Mountain.
White Mountain is a popular recreation area located near Rock Springs and Green River, just north of Interstate 80.
The mountain is home to elk, deer, wild horses, sage grouse and other species, and the local landmark Pilot Butte. It also includes the county's recently completed Wild Horse Loop Tour, which runs along the rim and slope of White Mountain.
The project area is comprised of approximately 13,165 total acres, including 8,527 acres of private lands -- owned by Anadarko and the Rock Springs Grazing Association - and
4,398 acres of BLM-administered public lands. Grazing association members have firmly backed the proposed wind project.
Wind developers such as Tasco have been exploring sites across Sweetwater County in recent years, looking to take advantage of southwest Wyoming's vast, but still mostly undeveloped wind resource.
Teton officials believe the White Mountain site is ideal for wind power because of its high location, high wind energy potential, willing and supportive property owners from which to lease land and the close proximity of power transmission lines.
Four phases
In 2008, Sweetwater County issued a conditional use permit to Teton Wind for 36 wind turbines to be located on private land, but not a construction permit.
The EA said Teton would have to obtain additional conditional use and construction permits for the remaining turbines located on private lands from Sweetwater County prior to each phase of development.
The company's initial proposal met with local opposition and support during a formal county public hearing on the expanded project in Rock Springs in July.
Proponents said the wind project would produce a clean, renewable form of energy and bring much-needed jobs to the area in tough economic times.
Detractors were concerned about the impacts to the recreational, cultural and particularly the viewshed resources on White Mountain.
The company is proposing to employ a 1.5-MW wind turbine for the project, but it's possible a slightly larger wind turbine (2.0-3.0 MW) could be selected by Teton.
The environmental assessment said the final turbine selection process would depend on numerous factors, such as availability and economics. The EA emphasized that 240 turbines was the maximum number that could be installed in the project area.
The document said it was likely that fewer would be constructed because of technical or environmental constraints that cannot be fully identified at this time.
The White Mountain Wind Energy project would be constructed in four phases over a three-to-four-year period, according to company plans.
Once in operation, the company expects that each phase of the project would have an approximate 20-year life of operation.
The EA said it is possible that Teton would evaluate repowering the project as the life of the project comes to an end, as opposed to decommissioning the project.
However, repowering is not considered part of the current project and would be dependent upon discussions with federal and state agencies and landowners in the future.
Teton expects decommissioning to also be completed in phases over a three-to-four-year period.
Associated facilities required by the project include access roads, staging areas, an operations/maintenance building, underground electrical collection systems and a substation, among others.
The EA also examines a second alternative that would allow wind turbine development only on private and state lands.
The alternative would authorize the construction of up to 170 wind turbines on private and state lands, but none on BLM-administered public lands.
BLM Rock Springs Field Manager Lance Porter said the agency will accept written and e-mail comments on the study through March 10.
Contact southwest Wyoming bureau reporter Jeff Gearino at 307-875-5359 or gearino@tribcsp.com
