"We’ve brought this project in on time and on budget," said Jim Piro, PGE president and CEO. "It’s a major investment in renewable power for our customers and our shareholders, and we worked hard with our contractors and vendors to assure that the construction process would go smoothly."
The phase two turbines were manufactured and erected by Siemens Energy and the civil and electrical infrastructure was constructed for PGE by D.H. Blattner and Sons, Inc.
"The construction of phase 2 was very successful and we are looking forward to working with PGE on the third and final phase of the Biglow Canyon wind farm to help meet the growing demand for clean, wind-generated electricity," stated Jan Kjaersgaard, head of Siemens Energy’s Americas wind power business unit.
Trucks laden with wind-turbine parts for this second phase began rolling into Biglow in mid-April.
"We have worked with the PGE team on multiple phases and are very appreciative of their collaborative spirit and professionalism," said Jim Potter, executive vice president of D.H. Blattner and Sons, Inc. "We’re pleased to be a part of this project."
Phase one of Biglow Canyon was completed in 2007, with 76 turbines and an installed capacity of 125 megawatts of electricity. Each of the Phase two turbines is capable of generating up to 2.3 megawatts, bringing Biglow Canyon’s combined installed capacity to 275 megawatts. 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 fully-completed 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 PGE’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.
Portland General Electric Joins Nissan and eTec in Largest EV Project in U.S. History
Portland General Electric has joined in the effort to put the charging infrastructure for EVs in place throughout Oregon as soon as possible.
PGE was selected as a strategic participant in the project and the state of Oregon has been named as one of the five markets used as a test bed for this project.
eTec choose PGE to gain understanding into EV usage patterns and how they impact the electrical grid throughout the day. They also hope to conduct research into how EVs can interact with PGE’s smart grid initiatives that kicked off recently.
Jim Piro, CEO of PGE said, "This announcement is an exciting and important step forward to develop the critical infrastructure necessary in Oregon to support next-generation electric vehicles that are coming to market in 2010. This project will give us a better understanding of how charging of electric vehicles can effectively be integrated into a smart electric grid at the lowest possible cost."
In terms of electric companies, PGE is ahead of most of their competitors. They’ve partnered with area governments and have installed almost 20 EV charging stations in the Portland and Salem areas.
As part of the agreement between the companies working on this project, up to 1,000 Nissan LEAFs could be available at Nissan dealerships in the state of Oregon by Fall 2010. They expect to have 2,500 charging stations installed beginning in the summer of next year to support the vehicle. The stations will be located at both homes and businesses and additional fast charge stations will be installed in highly congested areas throughout the state.
As the program begins, residents who wish to join in on the program will be able to purchase a Nissan LEAF. Consumers who purchase the LEAF in Oregon under the program will have charging equipment installed at their home or business at no cost.
About Portland General Electric Company
Portland General Electric, headquartered in Portland, Ore., is a fully integrated electric utility that serves approximately 817,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers in Oregon. Visit our Web site at PortlandGeneral.com.
