Puget Sound Energy Wind Farm?s Visitor Center Opens April 1

The visitor center is open seven days a week, 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., from April through November (weather permitting). Free guided tours of PSE’s 273-megawatt renewable-power operation occur daily at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., with no reservation required. Tours and presentations for private groups, including tour-bus groups, also can be scheduled.

Visitors to Wild Horse not only learn about renewable energy from the center’s informational displays, but also from guided hikes past operating wind turbines and one of the Pacific Northwest’s largest solar-power arrays. During spring, the center’s trails also allow visitors to stroll among magnificent wildflower displays of hedgehog cacti and other shrub-steppe vegetation. Elk, deer, coyote, rabbits and other wildlife often are seen in the area.

Perched at 3,500 feet on the slopes of Whiskey Dick Mountain, the center provides spectacular views of Mount Rainier, Mount Adams, Mount Hood and the Columbia River gorge.

Recreational activities such as hiking, horseback riding, hunting and bird watching are allowed at Wild Horse beyond the guided-tour trails near the Renewable Energy Center. However, public access in these outer areas of the wind farm requires a written permit. Access permits can be obtained at the visitor center or by registering online at pse.com/wildhorse.

The Fourth Annual Wildflower and Wind Power Walk will be held at Wild Horse on Saturday, April 28 and Saturday, May 12. Specially guided hikes and presentations by naturalists and native-plant enthusiasts will be offered on those days.

For more information on visiting Wild Horse or to arrange a private group tour, call the Renewable Energy Center at 509-964-7815, or go to PSE.com/WildHorse.

Completed in 2006 and expanded in 2009, the Wild Horse Wind and Solar Facility contains 149 wind turbines and 2,723 solar panels that together generate enough electricity to power about 70,000 households. Since it opened in 2008, the site’s Renewable Energy Center has welcomed more than 82,000 visitors, including more than 1,100 school and community groups.

PSE is the Northwest’s largest utility producer of wind power. The utility owns and operates three wind farms in Washington. On average, the three facilities generate enough electricity to serve about 230,000 homes.

Washington state’s oldest local energy utility, Puget Sound Energy serves 1.1 million electric customers and more than 750,000 natural gas customers in 11 counties. A subsidiary of Puget Energy, PSE meets the energy needs of its customers, in part, through cost-effective energy efficiency, procurement of sustainable energy resources, and far-sighted investment in energy-delivery infrastructure. PSE employees are dedicated to providing great customer service that is safe, dependable and efficient.

www.PSE.com