By Jason Fordney

PacifiCorp said Tuesday it selected bids from developers of four wind farms, totaling 1,300 MW and advancing an effort that would expand the company’s wind portfolio by more than 60% if constructed.

The Portland, Ore.-based company is procuring the wind as part of its Energy Vision 2020 plan, which also includes upgrading its existing wind facilities in Wyoming, Washington and Oregon with longer blades and other technology. Energy from three of the new projects would be carried to the company’s system via the proposed 140-mile, 500-kV Aeolus-Bridger/Anticline transmission line, a segment of the company’s 2,000-mile Energy Gateway, a proposed project under development over the last decade.

“We are committed to expanding the amount of renewable energy serving our customers, and these new wind projects will help us cost-effectively further that goal,” said Stefan Bird, CEO of the Pacific Power unit that serves customers in Oregon, Washington and California.

The winning bids resulted from a request for proposals issued last September. (See PacifiCorp Seeks 1,270 MW of New Wind.) The company estimates the projects will cost an estimated $1.5 billion, much less than when the wind and transmission plan was originally announced last April and lower than the cost of market purchases.

The proposed wind projects, all located in Wyoming, are:

• A 400-MW project in Converse County to be built by NextEra Energy, which would split ownership and operation with PacifiCorp;
• A 161-MW project in Uinta County to be built by Invenergy and owned and operated by PacifiCorp;
• A 500-MW project in Carbon and Albany counties to be built, owned and operated by PacifiCorp; and
• A 250-MW project in Carbon County to be built, owned and operated by PacifiCorp.

The new wind and transmission projects still require state approval, acquisition of rights of way and other permits, with construction targeted for next year. The company last year announced it would be procuring more wind energy when it issued its 2017 integrated resource plan. (See PacifiCorp IRP Sees More Renewables, Less Coal.)