The Western Area Power Administration has approved interconnection of the proposed 504-MW Rail Tie Wind Project in southern Wyoming, completing the last step necessary for the developer to go forward with construction.
Developer ConnectGEN had requested to hook the project up to WAPA’s 345-kV Ault-Craig transmission line. WAPA Administrator Tracey LeBeau signed the record of decision on July 11.
“Connecting more renewable energy projects to the grid is a critical step in modernizing America’s energy infrastructure and meeting our nation’s growing energy needs,” LeBeau said in a statement.
Rail Tie will consist of 84 to 149 wind turbine generators, according to WAPA’s decision. The project site is about 26,000 acres of private and state land in Albany County, Wyo.
The project will have two stages, each approximately 252 MW and divided by U.S. Highway 287. The company received approval from the Albany County Board of County Commissioners in July 2021, the Wyoming State Board of Land Commissioners in January 2021 and the Wyoming Industrial Siting Council in November 2021.
With the main permits needed for the project now in place, the company is focusing on final engineering and pre-construction planning, Mark Lawlor, ConnectGEN’s vice president of development, said through a publicist on Tuesday. The company expects construction to begin in spring 2023, with operations starting by the end of 2024.
Lawlor said the company is in conversations with several potential customers but has not yet finalized a power purchase agreement for the project.
ConnectGEN is a renewable energy company that private equity firm Quantum Energy Partners launched in 2018. According to its website, the company has 139 MW in operation and more than 20,000 MW of wind, solar and energy storage projects in development across the U.S.
According to WAPA’s decision, technical analyses found the project would not reduce the transmission system’s reliability and that system upgrades wouldn’t be needed to support the interconnection.
An environmental impact statement, finalized in November, identified significant impacts from turbine operations on visual resources, certain historic properties and eagles. But there are still opportunities for those impacts to be mitigated, WAPA noted.
For example, ConnectGEN is seeking Federal Aviation Administration approval to install an aircraft detection lighting system, in which flashing red lights on the turbines would only turn on when an aircraft is in the area.
ConnectGEN is also preparing an eagle conservation plan. In addition, the company is applying for an eagle incidental take permit from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, a process that could lead to other mitigation measures, WAPA said.