Shepherds Flat Wind Farm starts up in Oregon

On September 22, Caithness Energy announced that Shepherds Flat Wind Farm in Oregon was operational and generating up to 845 megawatts of electricity. The wind farm is one of the largest in the world and is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, with a US$1.3 billion partial loan guarantee through the Recovery Act in 2010. The company said that the project is expected to generate enough electricity to power 235,000 homes in the U.S.
The wind farm is sponsored by Caithness and General Electric (GE) Energy Financial Services. The project includes 338 GE 2.5xl turbines, which are for the first time being deployed in North America. Output from the wind farms is contracted to Southern California Edison, covered by 20-year power purchase agreements. The wind farm’s output will eliminate about 1,216,000 tons of carbon dioxide per year, which is equivalent to the annual greenhouse gas emissions produced by more than 212,000 passenger vehicles. (September 26, 2012)