Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
on a large site near the town of Goldendale, Washington. The site was
situated just a few miles east of a cliff that had long been known as “Windy
Point” because of its perpetually blustery conditions. Convinced that this
area possessed all of the characteristics of a prime location for wind energy
development, Monkhouse and Hardke started making plans to pursue a
potential project there.
Well aware that delays and difficulties in obtaining permitting approvals
were among the greatest risks Cannon faced in these contexts, Hardke,
an experienced attorney, was intrigued when Klickitat County adopted its
EOZ and programmatic EIS. These unusual programs not only promised
to expedite the permitting process; they also demonstrated that the local
government and community at large were serious about having a wind
project in their midst. By adopting the EOZ, local officials had signaled
that they understood the ramifications of wind energy development and
genuinely wanted to attract developers to the county.
The prospect of a wind farm in Klickitat County unquestionably seemed
appealing to Monkhouse and Hardke at first blush. However, they knew
that they needed to investigate more deeply before making any major
investments toward building out a project there. Would it really be feasible
for Cannon to connect a new wind farm in the area into BPA's high-voltage
transmission system and deliver the project's power to California utilities?
Would state or local opposition stemming from possible impacts on wildlife,
views, or cultural resources prevent development, despite the existence of
the EOZ? And was the community truly prepared for all of the changes that
a new wind farm would bring? Monkhouse and Hardke wanted to become
comfortable with all of these issues before spending too much money in
active pursuit of a project.
Cooperating with rivals to connect into the grid
A sure means of delivering electricity to end users is a necessary requirement
for any wind energy project, so transmission issues loomed large as Cannon
first mulled the possibilities of development in Klickitat County. There was
plenty of excess capacity on BPA's nearby 500 kV transmission system to
deliver additional power to California, but new lines and facilities would
undoubtedly be needed to connect that system to Cannon's potential project
site. Such facilities could have a hefty price tag and would require significant
cooperation with the local utility district.
Over the course of several months, Cannon engaged in discussions
with BPA and with the Klickitat Public Utility District (KPUD) regarding
potential expansions of the county's transmission infrastructure to facil-
itate wind energy development. As these discussions progressed, it soon
became obvious that Cannon could not foot the entire bill for these trans-
mission expansions on its own. Accordingly, what began as a bilateral
discussion between Cannon and KPUD quickly transitioned into a complex
Search WWH ::
Custom Search