Wind farm company: The community would benefit

PULLMAN — Steelhead Americas, the company behind Colfax’s proposed Harvest Hills Wind Project, reiterated its commitment to working with Whitman County through the process.

“We’re aligned with responsible development,” Shane Roche, lead developer of Harvest Hills, said. “To protect the rights of landowners … and make sure the community benefits.”

The Oregon-based energy corporation held an information session on its plans to construct a wind farm Tuesday night at Washington State University’s Lewis Alumni Centre. The panel discussion was led by Steelhead officials and experts.

Roche said Steelhead Americas is Vesta’s North American development arm. The natural energy corporation is the world’s largest wind turbine manufacturer, with over 24,000 turbines installed across the U.S. alone.

The company wants to expand into Whitman County, with plans to build 45 wind turbines on private land west of Kamiak Butte near Colfax and south of Washington State Route 272. The model of turbine involved would be the Vesta V163.

Roche said Steelhead is in its initial design phase, determining where turbines would sit and road locations.

The wind farm would generate 200 megawatts of clean energy that Roche said would tie into the local energy grid. He added the company entered into an agreement with Avista Utilities last year to connect the project with the energy provider.

The company doesn’t plan on creating electrical storage. Roche said some generators and electrical components would be used, but does not include lithium ion batteries.

The wind farm is projected to have a 30-year lifespan. Roche said the company doesn’t intend to sell, and will be with the project from manufacturing turbines to decommissioning them and restoring the land.

Terry Wirkkala, ECOnorthwest’s senior project manager, was hired by Steelhead to assess economic impacts of the project. She said building the wind farm is anticipated to take a year and will create 150 construction jobs. The project would also employ four full-time turbine technicians and one full-time site manager.

Wirkkala projects the $300 million wind farm to generate around $480 million. She said the project would be taxed locally, and would generate roughly $1.3 million annually or $38 million over its lifetime for Whitman County.

She said the project’s revenue could shoulder a larger share of local taxing district levy, decreasing tax rates for people in the county who pay property taxes.

Wirkkala said the project could affect agriculture. During the process about 39 acres of active farmland, or 0.003% of Whitman county agricultural land, would need to be taken out of production to house project components like turbines and roads. This equates to roughly $17,400 in crop value.

Dave Phillips, Steelhead’s director of environmental affairs, said all wildlife studies have been completed. The company plans on conducting final assessments and operational studies, like final examinations of wetlands areas, cultural impacts and recreation.

The company looked at the wind farm’s potential impact on bird and bat populations. Phillips said this includes habitats in the area, species and the rate animals are present.

He added measures can be taken to lessen impacts on bats by reducing the speed turbines are moving during active periods, and resuming normal operations at other times.

Jonathan Rogers, CEO of Persimia, an aerospace engineering simulation company, spoke to turbines’ effects on air travel.

He said it isn’t uncommon for wind farms to be placed near public airports or small private airstrips — around 40% of turbines are within 5 to 6 miles of them in the U.S.

Rogers said the Federal Aviation Administration has reported no incidents caused by turbine wake turbulence, or a disturbance in air caused by motion. He added aircrafts have been flying in the presence of turbines for decades, and the wake caused by the natural energy source doesn’t cause hazards.

Pearce can be reached at epearce@dnews.com