Biglow Canyon Wind Farm

In 2005, Orion Energy announced plans to develop a 450-megawatt wind farm with 225 turbines at Biglow Canyon in the Columbia River Gorge, at the time the largest project of its kind in Oregon.Hill, Gail Kinsey. Wind farm in gorge may blow others away. The Oregonian. August 1, 2005. Portland General Electric (PGE) acquired Orion's development right to the $200 million project in 2006.Hill, Gail Kinsey. PGE power project rides on the wind. The Oregonian. April 12, 2006. In November 2006, PGE purchased the first 76 turbines for the project from Vestas, with the project cost increasing to an estimated $256 million for the first phase.Hill, Gail Kinsey. PGE has the wind and adds the mills. The Oregonian. November 28, 2006. PGE broke ground on the site in February 2007. In the middle of October 2007, ten Vestas V82 wind turbines were energized to produce the first electricity at Biglow.Sickinger, Ted. Demand for wind dwarfs supply. The Oregonian, November 9, 2007. The last of the 76 turbines in the first-phase of the wind farm development became operational in December 2007.{{usurped|1=[https://archive.today/20130201072917/http://www.renewableenergyaccess.com/rea/news/story?id=51000 PGE Completes Biglow Canyon Wind Farm.]}} Renewable Energy Access. Retrieved on 2009-01-26.

The turbines for phases 2 and 3 were purchased from Siemens Energy. There will be 141 SWT-2.3-93 turbines, with a capacity of 2.3 MW each.[https://archive.today/20130505063959/http://www.theengineer.co.uk/Articles/305390/Siemens+to+supply+wind+farm+turbines.htm Siemens Energy to supply wind farm turbines.] The Engineer Online. Retrieved on 2009-01-26. Phase 2 of the project was completed in August 2009, adding 65 turbines to the wind farm.{{cite news|url=http://portland.bizjournals.com/portland/stories/2009/08/17/daily51.html|title=PGE completes second phase of wind farm|date=August 20, 2009|work=Portland Business Journal|access-date=2009-08-22}} The expansion brought generating capacity to 275 megawatts. Phase 3 added 76 wind turbines, with the cost of phases two and three totaling $700 to $800 million. Phase 3 completed the project and brought the maximum generating capacity to 450 megawatts, though the anticipated generation is estimated to average 150 megawatts. The final phase was completed in September 2010, with the project totaling 217 turbines at a cost $1 billion.{{cite news|url=http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2010/09/pge_completes_final_phase_of_b.html|title=PGE completes final phase of Biglow Canyon wind farm|last=Sickinger|first=Ted|date=September 8, 2010|work=The Oregonian|access-date=9 September 2010| archive-url= https://archive.today/20100911142436/http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2010/09/pge_completes_final_phase_of_b.html| archive-date= 11 September 2010 | url-status= live}}

On February 1, 2022, a turbine lost a blade which traveled about 100 yards before landing. This resulted in the farm being shut-down for months for inspections.{{cite news|url=https://www.oregonlive.com/business/2022/08/upcoming-investigation-how-an-airborne-blade-exposed-broader-problems-at-pges-flagship-wind-farm.html|title=Upcoming investigation: How an airborne blade exposed broader problems at PGE’s flagship wind farm}}

Image:Vestasturbine.jpg

The Biglow Canyon Wind Farm has an installed capacity of 450 megawatts. The site covers {{convert|25000|acre}} in Sherman County. The wind farm uses a feeder transmission line from the canyon to high-voltage transmission lines via a power substation located near The Dalles.Confusingly, the power substation near The Dalles is named John Day substation. See {{cite web

| url = http://www.usbr.gov/dataweb/html/pninter.html

| title = Pacific Northwest-Pacific Southwest Intertie

| publisher = US Bureau of Reclamation

| access-date = 2009-01-26

| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090118034101/http://www.usbr.gov/dataweb/html/pninter.html

| archive-date= 18 January 2009

}} PGE does not own this line. Additionally, the line connects this and other wind farms to the Bonneville Power Administration run power grid built for use with the hydroelectric dams on the Columbia River.

The facility is authorized to install up to 225 wind turbines totaling 450 MW and averaging 150 MW distributed over {{convert|25000|acre}}. Each turbine's supporting tower must be {{convert|265|–|280|ft}} tall; combined with wind turbine blades, each unit may be {{convert|400|–|445|ft}} in height. The turbines may be aligned in up to 30 corridors {{convert|500|ft|m}} wide on private farmland leased from the appropriate landowners.{{cite web

|url=http://www.oregon.gov/ENERGY/SITING/docs/BCW3aSC.pdf

|title=Third Amended Site Certificate for the Biglow Canyon Wind Farm

|author=The Oregon Energy Facility Siting Council

|publisher=Oregon Department of Energy

|date=October 31, 2008

|access-date=2009-01-26

|url-status=dead

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100709232029/http://www.oregon.gov/ENERGY/SITING/docs/BCW3aSC.pdf

|archive-date=2010-07-09

}} The initial construction—termed phase I—provides a completed capacity of 125 MW or enough to power 34,000 homes.PGE's Biglow Canyon Wind Farm Helps Make Holiday Lights Greener, PGE press release, December 21, 2007. Phase I cost some $250 million. Energy Trust of Oregon contributed $6 million.

Turbine output is around 600 V AC and is converted to 34.5 kV by a transformer at the base of each tower. The output is gathered by a substation which combines the individual turbine contributions. Most collector cabling and associated control and monitoring fiber-optic cable (up to 99 miles) is buried {{convert|3|ft|m}} underground. Exceptions are made for aerial cables to span terrain such as canyons, wetlands, and cultivated areas to protect the environment. Up to {{convert|15|mi|km}} of aerial cabling is permitted. Bonneville Power Administration built a 12-mile 230 kV transmission line to collect the power. It has capacity for an expected additional 450 MW from two other proposed wind farms in Sherman County.{{cite web

| url = http://www.transmission.bpa.gov/planproj/Wind/default.cfm?page=klondikeIII

| title = Klondike III/Biglow Canyon Interconnection

| publisher = Bonneville Power Administration

| date = September 4, 2007

| access-date = 2009-01-26

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090504214106/http://www.transmission.bpa.gov/PlanProj/Wind/default.cfm?page=klondikeIII

| archive-date = May 4, 2009

| url-status = dead

}}

The substation may be up to {{convert|6|acre}} including transformers, switching equipment, maintenance shops, control room, and offices. As many as ten meteorological observation towers up to {{convert|279|ft|m|abbr=on}} are allowed throughout the wind farm to collect wind resource data. Construction must be completed by June 30, 2011.

Visual impact restrictions are in force for the John Day Wildlife Refuge, John Day Wild and Scenic River, and the John Day State Scenic Waterway (from Parish Creek to Tumwater Falls). Wildlife protection must be provided for nesting bald eagles, peregrine falcons, Swainson's hawk, golden eagle, Burrowing owl, Ferruginous hawk and minimization of harm to other wildlife. Noise levels during construction and operation of the facility must not contribute more than 50 dBA at 24 identified noise sensitive sitesAmbient noise level.

{{stack|{{Portal|Oregon|Weather|Renewable energy}}}}

• List of wind farms in the United States
• Wind power in Oregon

{{Reflist|33em}}

• [http://www.oregon.gov/ENERGY/SITING/BCW.shtml Oregon DOE]: all Oregon certificates for Biglow Canyon Wind Farm

{{Wind power in the United States}}

Category:Energy infrastructure completed in 2007

Category:Energy infrastructure completed in 2009

Category:Energy infrastructure completed in 2010

Category:Buildings and structures in Sherman County, Oregon

Category:Wind farms in Oregon

Category:Portland General Electric

Category:2005 establishments in Oregon