The Wyoming Industrial Siting Council has approved the necessary state permit to construct and operate the state’s largest wind farm.
On August 8, 2014, the Power Company of Wyoming LLC (PCW) announced that a seven-member panel of Wyoming’s Industrial Siting Council (ISC) unanimously approved PCW’s application for a major non-federal permit required to move forward with its proposed Chokecherry and Sierra Madre (CCSM) Wind Energy Project. ISC approved the state permit based on findings that the proposed project complied with applicable law, did not pose a threat to environmental and public health, and that PSW has the necessary financial resources. The project has obtained the necessary permit from Carbon County.
According to Power Company, the CCSM Project would be Wyoming’s largest wind farm with up to 1,000 wind turbines and a 3,000 MW nameplate capacity. Upon completion, the project would produce enough electricity to supply approximately one million homes, create 114 operations and maintenance jobs, and generate substantial revenue through taxes and royalties.
The proposed project location in south-central Wyoming’s Overland Trail Ranch consists of private land interspersed with federal and state land. Considering its partial siting on federal land, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) conducted an environmental analysis and issued a Record of Decision in 2012 approving wind development on the site. BLM is expected to complete environmental assessments of additional site-specific plans this year.
PSW noted ISC’s emphasis on extensive public support for the CCSM project based on hearings from Carbon County, its municipalities, local and state entities, and other parties. The Wyoming Industrial Siting Division, part of the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality, has up to 45 days to formally issue the permit.
Originally published by EnerKnol.
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