Biglow Canyon Wind Farm, located on 25,000 acres near Wasco in Sherman County, Ore., represents PGE’s largest renewable project, with a total installed capacity of 450 megawatts. Given the variability of wind power, the plant produces an average of around 150 MW — enough to power the homes of about 125,000 average PGE residential customers.
Biglow Canyon was built in three phases. Phase 1, completed in December 2007, is comprised of 76 Vestas wind turbines and has an installed capacity of 125 MW. Phase 2, comprised of 65 Siemens wind turbines with an installed capacity of approximately 150 MW, was completed and placed in-service in August 2009. The final phase of the project, completed in August 2010, added an additional 76 Siemens wind turbines and installed capacity of 175 MW to the project.
Biglow Canyon will help PGE satisfy Oregon’s renewable energy standard, which requires the utility to meet 15 percent of its load with renewable resources by 2015 and 25 percent by 2025.
For more information, see Biglow Facts.
Biglow is PGE’s first wholly owned and operated wind farm.
Creating more than just power
In addition to generating power for PGE customers, Biglow Canyon created new, family-wage jobs, additional tax revenue for Sherman County, and easement payments to landowners.
PGE’s renewable power leadership
PGE’s leadership in renewable power began in the late 1990s. Today, the company leads the nation in kilowatt hours of green power sold to residential customers, according to the latest figures from the U.S. Department of Energy.
Other leadership highlights:
- 1998 − PGE agrees to purchase the entire output of Oregon’s first major wind farm, Vansycle Ridge, in Umatilla County, Oregon
- 1999 − PGE becomes one of the first utilities to offer a renewable power product to customers
- 2005 − PGE begins purchasing the entire output of the new Klondike II Wind Farm, located in Sherman County
- 2006 − PGE named “Green Power Program of the Year” by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy
- 2007 − PGE’s largest hydro project, Pelton-Round Butte on the Deschutes River, is officially certified as producing green power
- 2007 − PGE breaks ground on Biglow Canyon Wind Farm
- 2010 − PGE completes Biglow Canyon, one of the Pacific Northwest’s largest wind projects and the utility’s first fully owned and operated wind farm