Rocky Mountain Power opens competitive bidding for wind power expansion projects

In an effort to find the most efficient way to add at least 1,200 megawatts of wind energy to the resource mix of a six-state service area by 2020, Rocky Mountain Power opened a competitive bidding process for wind projects last week.

The wind projects would generate roughly enough energy to power the annual consumption of 400,000 homes, expanding the company’s owned or contracted wind serving customer base by approximately 35 percent. Rocky Mountain Power, a division of PacifiCorp, opened bidding by issuing a request for proposal (RFP).

“We have a unique and time-limited opportunity to cost-effectively expand the amount of renewable energy serving customers,” said Cindy Crane, the president and CEO of Rocky Mountain Power, the division of PacifiCorp that serves customers in Utah, Wyoming, and Idaho. “These new wind resources are a key part of the company’s plan to both meet customer energy needs and continue our cost-conscious transition to less carbon-intensive energy.”

The wind projects are part of company plans to modernize its existing wind fleet with new technologies and longer blades while constructing a new high-voltage transmission line in Wyoming. The line, which will span 140 miles, will connect the new wind energy with Rocky Mountain Power’s transmission system.

The project’s 2020 deadline coincides with the expiration of federal production tax credits. The deadline for RFP responses for Wyoming projects is Oct. 17, and the deadline for non-Wyoming projects is Oct. 24.