Biglow Canyon Wind Farm
| Company type | Electricity generation facility |
|---|---|
| Industry | Wind power |
| Founded | 2007 |
| Founder | Portland General Electric |
| Headquarters | Sherman County , United States |
Area served | Oregon, United States |
| Products | Electricity |
| Owner | Portland General Electric |
| Parent | Portland General Electric |
Biglow Canyon Wind Farm is a wind-powered electricity generation facility situated in Sherman County, Oregon. Owned by Portland General Electric (PGE), it has been in operation since 2007. Following the completion of its third phase, the wind farm's total capacity reached 450 megawatts. The installation covers an area within the Columbia River Gorge, close to the towns of Wasco and Rufus, Oregon.
History
Originally in 2005, Orion Energy proposed developing a 450 MW wind farm featuring 225 turbines at Biglow Canyon, which would have been Oregon’s largest project at that time. In 2006, PGE secured the development rights and increased the initial phase’s budget to $256 million after acquiring 76 turbines manufactured by Vestas. Construction commenced in February 2007; by October of that year, the first 10 turbines were producing electricity, and all 76 units were fully operational by December 2007.
Phases two and three incorporated 141 Siemens SWT-2.3-93 turbines, each with a capacity of 2.3 MW. Phase two introduced 65 turbines in August 2009, boosting capacity to 275 MW. Phase three added another 76 turbines, culminating in project completion by September 2010 with a total of 217 turbines and an overall investment near $1 billion. The farm’s full generating potential is 450 MW, with an anticipated average output close to 150 MW.
On February 1, 2022, one turbine blade detached and fell approximately 100 yards away, resulting in a multi-month shutdown to facilitate thorough inspections.
Operations
Located within Sherman County, the Biglow Canyon Wind Farm boasts an installed capacity of 450 megawatts and occupies a substantial land area. It is linked through a feeder transmission line and a power substation near The Dalles, known as the John Day substation, which connects to the high-voltage network managed by the Bonneville Power Administration. This grid supports hydroelectric facilities along the Columbia River. Although PGE does not own this transmission line, it relies on it to deliver wind-generated electricity into the regional power system.
Certification
The project received authorization to install as many as 225 turbines with a combined capacity of up to 450 MW spread over its designated acreage. Each turbine tower stands tall, reaching heights up to with blades extending further. The turbines are arranged in as many as 30 corridors that are wide across leased private farmland. The first phase provided a capacity of 125 MW—enough to supply roughly 34,000 households—at an expenditure around $250 million, which included a $6 million contribution from the Energy Trust of Oregon.
Each turbine produces approximately 600 V AC electricity, which is then transformed to 34.5 kV at transformers located at the base of each tower. The generated power is gathered at a central substation where outputs from all turbines are consolidated. Control and monitoring systems employ fiber-optic cables extending up to 99 miles; most are buried about three feet underground while aerial cables span up to 15 miles across environmentally sensitive areas with special permits. The Bonneville Power Administration constructed a dedicated 12-mile-long, 230 kV transmission line designed to handle an additional 450 MW from prospective wind projects within Sherman County.
The substation covers up to , encompassing transformers, switching gear, maintenance buildings, control centers, and office spaces. Up to ten meteorological towers—each reaching heights of —are installed throughout the site to assess wind conditions across the facility. Construction was mandated for completion by June 30, 2011.
Environmental regulations safeguard visual corridors adjacent to the John Day Wildlife Refuge and Scenic Waterway. Wildlife protection measures address nesting habitats for species such as bald eagles, peregrine falcons, Swainson's hawks, golden eagles, burrowing owls, and ferruginous hawks. Noise emissions during both construction and ongoing operations are restricted not to exceed 50 dBA at twenty-four designated sensitive locations.
Electricity Generation
| Year | Total MW·h |
|---|---|
| 2007 | 11,400 |
| 2008 | 381,598 |
| 2009 | 343,833 |
| 2010 | 311,962 |
| 2011 | 486,281 |
| 2012 | 1,108,517 |
| 2013 | 1,190,817 |
| 2014 | 1,142,486 |
| 2015 | 1,045,257 |
| 2016 | 1,058,132 |
| 2017 | 894,881 |
| 2018 | 1,041,840 |
| Average (2012–2018) : |
1,068,847 |
See also
External links
- Oregon DOE: Biglow Canyon Wind Farm certification documents