| Announcements and Notices |
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| Meetings of the Siting Council |
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Telephone Conference Meeting
August 18, 2008
4:00 PM
Single-item agenda:
Council authorization to use consultant contractor for review of Snake River Ethanol Project.
The telephone conference meeting is open to the public. Contact Meiko Kristiansen by email or phone, (503) 378-5053, by 4:00 PM on August 15, for information on how to join the conference call.
Meeting Minutes
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| Newberry Geothermal Project - Notice of Intent |
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Newberry Geothermal Holdings LLC has submitted a Notice of Intent (NOI) to apply for a site certificate for the proposed Newberry Geothermal Project.
Notice of Intent, July 2008
Part A (applicant information) [906 kb pdf]
Part B (project description and location) [176 kb pdf]
Part C (project location map) [372 kb pdf]
Part D (additional information) [384 kb pdf]
The Newberry Geothermal Project (NGP) would include power generation systems, geothermal fluid systems, transmission lines, access roads, operations and maintenance buildings and other related or supporting facilities. The NGP would have up to four separate electric generating units, each consisting of a turbine, generator, condenser, cooling water pumps, gas removal system, cooling tower and other equipment. Each generation turbine would produce 35 to 45 megawatts. Each generating unit would occupy an area of approximately 5 acres.
Geothermal fluid would be extracted from geothermal production wells located within a couple miles of each generation unit. The fluid would flow through above-ground pipelines to a steam handling system. The steam handling system separates steam from the geothermal fluid at two pressures, producing high pressure (HP) and low pressure (LP) steam used to drive the turbines. The spent fluid would be pumped through other aboveground pipelines to injection wells. Gases that enter the condenser with the steam will accumulate in the condenser and will be evacuated by the non-condensable gas removal system and dispersed in the cooling tower plumes.
Production and injection wells are expected to be drilled to a depth of 6,000 to 10,000 feet. Location of wells would depend on efficient utilization of the geothermal resource, minimizing interference between wells, environmental constraints and other factors. Reservoir management considerations require production wells to be separated from injection wells.
A 230-kilovolt transmission line, approximately 12 miles in length, would carry power from the NGP to a Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) substation near La Pine. The transmission line will be supported on H-frame wood poles, approximately 75 feet high. The applicant has executed transmission service agreements with BPA for long-term transmission of the project’s power output to Pacific Gas & Electric Company (“PG&E”). The Applicant has a contract with PG&E for the sale of 120 MW of NGP output for a period of 20 years beginning as early as 2010.
The facility would be located in Deschutes County. The proposed site is within the Bend-Fort Rock Ranger District of the Deschutes National Forest in Deschutes County, south of Bend. The NGP would lie completely outside the boundaries of the Newberry National Volcanic Monument. The total area under consideration is approximately 9,000 acres, but the project would occupy less than 5 percent (450 acres) of this total.
The Department has issued a public notice on the proposed facility. The Department has scheduled a public informational meeting about this project and the site certificate process.
Public Notice on the Notice of Intent [44 kb pdf]
Public Meeting
September 18, 2008
7:00 PM
Barnes Room
Deschutes County Services Center
1300 NW Wall Street
Bend, Oregon
The public may comment on the proposed NGP at the information meeting on September 18 or by sending written comments to the Department. This comment period ends on September 30, 2008. Written comments or questions can be submitted by regular mail, e-mail or fax. The public will have additional opportunities to comment on the NGP later in the process. Future public comment opportunities will be announced on this web page.
Comments and Questions
If you have comments or questions about this notice, contact John White by e-mail or by mail to: Oregon Department of Energy, 625 Marion Street NE, Salem Oregon 97301-3737, Telephone: 503-378-3194 or (800) 221-8035, extension 295 (toll-free in Oregon); Fax: (503) 373-7806.
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| Snake River Ethanol Project - Notice of Intent |
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Snake River Ethanol LLC has submitted a Notice of Intent to apply for a site certificate for the proposed Snake River Ethanol Project.
The facility would produce approximately 130 million gallons per year of ethanol, along with agricultural co-products, using corn and sugar as feedstock. The facility would be located on a previously developed 220 acre industrial site in Nyssa, Oregon. Corn and sugar would be brought in by rail and truck, and ethanol and co-products shipped out by rail and truck. Coal would be the primary energy source used for ethanol production, with other energy sources also available, including products from corn fragmentation. The facility will operate within the limits of existing water rights, waste water discharge permits and air emission permits applicable to the site. In addition to the equipment necessary for ethanol production, the facility will include a rail loop spur for delivery of fuel and feedstock and for shipping of finished ethanol.
Notice of Intent [6.3 MB PDF]
The Notice of Intent will be available for review at the Nyssa City Hall, 301 Main Street in Nyssa, Oregon, and at the Oregon Department of Energy, 625 Marion Street NE in Salem, Oregon.
Comments and Questions
If you have comments or questions about this notice, contact Adam Bless by e-mail or by mail to: Oregon Department of Energy, 625 Marion Street NE, Salem Oregon 97301-3737; Telephone: (503) 378-8692 or (800) 221-8035, extension 226 (toll-free in Oregon), Fax: (503) 373-7806.
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| Lower Columbia Clean Energy Center Project - Notice of Intent |
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In September 2006, Westward Energy LLC submitted a notice of intent to apply for a site certificate application for the proposed Lower Columbia Clean Energy Center Project. The applicant proposed to construct an integrated coal gasification combined cycle power plant at the Port Westward Industrial Area near Clatskanie, Oregon.
The Department issued a Project Order for the facility in February 2007. The Project Order specified August 6, 2008 as the deadline for submittal of a site certificate application. The deadline has expired, and the applicant has not submitted an application.
Comments and Questions
If you have comments or questions about this notice, contact Adam Bless by e-mail or by mail to: Oregon Department of Energy, 625 Marion Street NE, Salem Oregon 97301-3737; Telephone: (503) 378-8692 or (800) 221-8035, extension 226 (toll-free in Oregon), Fax: (503) 373-7806.
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| Helix Wind Power Facility - Application |
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Iberdrola Renewables, Inc., has submitted an application for a site certificate for the proposed Helix Wind Power Facility. The proposed facility is a wind energy facility that would consist of up to 68 wind turbines and that would have a combined peak generating capacity of not more than 102 megawatts. The applicant is applying for a Site Certificate as allowed under ORS 469.320(8), which allows an applicant to obtain a site certificate for a proposed facility that would have an average electric generating capacity of less than 35 megawatts.
The applicant has not selected a turbine type for the project but is considering turbines in the range of 1.5-MW to 3.0-MW of generating capacity. Turbine tower height would not exceed 100 meters (328 feet), and overall height (maximum blade tip height) would not exceed 150 meters (492 feet). In addition to the wind turbines, the facility would include approximately 15 miles of new access roads, a substation, three meteorological towers, an aboveground and underground 34.5-kilovolt collector transmission line system and a communications system.
The facility would be located in Umatilla County on privately-owned land. There are approximately 8,141 acres within the proposed site boundary. The main project area lies approximately 9 miles northwest of Helix, Oregon. A 230-kV transmission line, approximately 13 miles long, would run from the project substation to an interconnection with either the 230-kV PacifiCorp transmission line or the 500-kV Bonneville Power Administration transmission line west of the main project area.
The Preliminary Application is available for public review at the Oregon Department of Energy in Salem, at the Pendleton Public Library, at the Umatilla Public Library and at the Helix Library.
The Department invites public comment on the proposed facility. Comments may be submitted in writing by mail, fax or email. During this open comment period, the Department will consider comments whenever they are received. The Department will announce specific comment periods in the future.
Comments and Questions
If you have comments or questions about this notice, contact John White by e-mail or by mail to: Oregon Department of Energy, 625 Marion Street NE, Salem Oregon 97301-3737, Telephone: 503-378-3194 or (800) 221-8035, extension 295 (toll-free in Oregon); Fax: (503) 373-7806.
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| Golden Hills Wind Farm Project - Application |
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The Oregon Department of Energy (ODOE) has filed the Application for Energy Facility Site Certificate for the Golden Hills Wind Farm Project (GHWF).
The Applicant is Golden Hills Wind Farm LLC, a subsidiary of BP Alternative Energy Inc. GHWF submitted a Preliminary Application to ODOE in August 10, 2007, and provided supplemental information to complete the application. The date of filing was August 4, 2008.
To See the Application for Site Certificate
The complete application consists of the Preliminary Application submitted in August 2007 and an Application Supplement compiled by GHWF in August 2008. GHWF will post the complete application, including supplemental materials, on its website: www.goldenhillswind.com. Paper copies are available for public review at:
| Oregon Department of Energy |
Wasco City Hall |
Sherman County Planning Department |
| 625 Marion St. NE |
1017 Clark St |
110 Main St. |
| Salem OR |
Wasco OR |
Moro, OR. |
Description of the Proposed Facility and Its Location
The Golden Hills Wind Project is a wind energy generation facility with electrical capacity of up to 400 megawatts. The facility could consist of up to 267 wind turbines. The turbine towers would be up to 80 meters (263 feet) tall at the turbine hub and would have an overall height of up to 128 meters (420 feet. The turbines would be sited within 900-foot corridors, and their precise locations within each corridor would be determined by GHWF based on the wind turbine model selected and other criteria. The facility would be located on private land subject to long-term wind energy leases that GHWF has negotiated with the landowners.
The project would also include related and supporting facilities including two substations approximately 2 acres in size, an underground power collection system, a 500 kV transmission line west of highway approximately 11 miles long, an Operations and Maintenance building, and approximately 50 miles of access roads. On its western side, GHWF would share a 230 kV transmission line along Sandon Road, which has already been permitted by Iberdrola Renewables in connection with the Hay Canyon wind project. GHWF also proposes up to six permanent meteorological towers. The towers would be unguyed tubular structures about 85 meters (279 feet) tall and set in concrete foundations.
The facility must meet standards established under ORS 469.501 by the Oregon Energy Facility Siting Council (Siting Council). For a full description of the site certificate process, see the ODOE website: www.oregon.gov/ENERGY/SITING
Request for Public Comments
The Department invites public comment on the application. You can comment by letter, fax, or email. There will be further opportunity to comment later, as described below. Please comment by September 8, 2008. Send comments to Adam Bless, Oregon Department of Energy at the address or email address below.
Future Steps in Site Certificate Process
ODOE and other state and local agencies will review the Application for compliance with the applicable laws and regulations. Under ORS 469.501(1)(b), the Siting Council will determine compliance with Sherman County’s land use criteria. The Golden Hills Wind project is located in the EFU zone and must not create a significant adverse impact on farming practices.
Draft Proposed Order and Public Hearing
After reviewing the application and comments from the public and reviewing agencies, ODOE will issue a Draft Proposed Order that recommends approval or denial of the project, and any necessary conditions of approval. ODOE will issue public notice of the Draft Proposed Order.
There will be a public hearing on the Draft Proposed Order, to be held in the vicinity of the project. The public can comment at this hearing, or in writing.
A person must comment in person or in writing on the record of the public hearing to preserve the right to participate in the contested case proceeding and to preserve the right to appeal the Council’s final decision. A person who intends to raise any issue that may be the basis for a contested case must raise the issue with sufficient specificity so that the Council, the Department and the applicant have an adequate opportunity to respond. Even if you commented earlier, you must still comment on the record of the hearing in order to participate in the contested case. Any comments made at the public hearing will be part of the decision record for this application.
Proposed Order
After the public hearing, the Council will hold a meeting to review the draft proposed order. The Department will give public notice of the Council meeting. After considering public comments and after Council review, the Department will issue the Proposed Order.
Contested Case Proceeding
The Department will issue a contested case notice upon issuing the Proposed Order. Only the applicant, the Department and persons who commented on the Draft Proposed Order or appeared at the public hearing may be parties to the contested case proceeding. Issues in the contested case are limited to those raised in person or in writing on the record of the public hearing described above. At the conclusion of the proceeding, the hearing officer will submit a proposed contested case order to the Council.
Council Decision
The Council will make its final decision at a public meeting. ODOE will announce the date and location of this final meeting once it is scheduled.
The Council’s final decision can be appealed directly to the Oregon Supreme Court. Only persons who commented on the Draft Proposed Order and were parties in the contested case may appeal.
Comments and Questions
The Department will post all announcements and notices about the proposed Golden Hills Wind Farm on this Web page. If you would like to comment, or if you have questions about the proposed facility or the site certificate process, contact the Department’s project officer:
Adam Bless
Oregon Department of Energy
625 Marion Street NE
Salem, OR 97301-3737
Telephone: 503-378-8692
Toll-Free: 800-221-8035 (in-state only)
Fax: 503-373-7806
E-mail: adam.bless@state.or.us
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| Shepherds Flat Wind Farm - Application |
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At its meeting on July 25, 2008, the Council issued a Final Order on the application for a site certificate submitted by Caithness Shepherds Flat, LLC for the proposed Shepherds Flat Wind Farm. The Final Order contains a detailed description of the proposed facility, a detailed description of the potential impacts of construction and operation, the Council's findings regarding compliance with Oregon energy facility siting standards and the Council's approved site certificate conditions. The Council approved a site certificate for the facility.
Final Order, July 2008 [997 kb pdf]
Attachment A (Wildlife Monitoring and Mitigation Plan) [110 kb pdf]
Attachment B (Revegetation Plan) [53 kb pdf]
Attachment C (Habitat Mitigation Plan) [50 kb pdf]
Attachment D (Application Comments and Department Responses) [136 kb pdf]
Attachment E (Draft Proposed Order Comments and Department Responses [147 kb pdf]
Site Certificate, July 2008 [148 kb pdf]
The site certificate authorizes the certificate holder to construct and operate a wind energy facility consisting of not more than 303 wind turbines. The facility would have a combined peak generating capacity of up to 909 megawatts. The applicant has not selected the turbine types for the project, but turbine tower hub height would not exceed 105 meters (345 feet) and overall height (maximum blade tip height) would not exceed 150 meters (492 feet). In addition to the wind turbines, the certificate holder may construct not more than 70 miles of new access roads on private property, two field workshops, two substations, six meteorological towers and not more than 21 miles of aboveground 230-kilovolt (kV) transmission line. The certificate holder may construct up to 158 miles of 34.5-kV collector lines to transport the power from each turbine to the collector substations. Most of the 34.5-kV system would be underground, but aboveground segments could be installed on single-pole, cross-arm structures or understrung on the 230-kV transmission line support structures.
The approved site is located partly in Gilliam County and partly in Morrow County. The project area lies between Highway 19 and Highway 74 on privately-owned land. The site is approximately five miles southeast of Arlington. The power output of the facility would enter the Federal Columbia River Transmission System through Bonneville Power Administration’s Slatt Substation.
Comments and Questions
If you have comments or questions about this notice, contact John White by e-mail or by mail to: Oregon Department of Energy, 625 Marion Street NE, Salem Oregon 97301-3737, Telephone: 503-378-3194 or (800) 221-8035, extension 295 (toll-free in Oregon); Fax: (503) 373-7806.
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| Cascade Wind Project - Application |
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On April 10, 2007, First Wind, formerly UPC Wind Development, LLC, submitted a preliminary application for a site certificate for the proposed Cascade Wind Project (Cascade Wind Project). The proposed facility is a wind energy facility that would have a peak generating capacity of approximately 60 megawatts. The proposed site is at Seven Mile Hill, near The Dalles in Wasco County, Oregon. A detailed description is in sections B and C of the Application for Site Certificate. The Department is reviewing the preliminary application and additional information for completeness.
The public may review the application at the Oregon Department of Energy in Salem, at The Dalles Public Library, 722 Court Street, The Dalles, and at the Wasco County Land Use Department, 2705 East Second Street, The Dalles.
The applicant has posted the preliminary application on the Cascade Wind website.
"Incompleteness" Letter to the Applicant [31 kb pdf]
Attachment 1 (ODFW: deer collaring project) [22 kb pdf]
Attachment 2 (ODFW: completeness comments) [33 kb pdf]
Attachment 3 (USFWS comments) [793 kb pdf]
Attachment 4 (Pacific Habitat Services comments) [17 kb pdf]
Attachment 5 (RAI #1) [22 kb pdf]
UPC/First Wind Letter (requesting additional time) [25 kb pdf]
The Department has issued an update on its review of the application.
Comments and Questions
If you have comments or questions about this notice, contact Adam Bless by e-mail or by mail to: Oregon Department of Energy, 625 Marion Street NE, Salem Oregon 97301-3737; Telephone: (503) 378-8692 or (800) 221-8035, extension 226 (toll-free in Oregon), Fax: (503) 373-7806.
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| Cascade Wind Project - name change |
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UPC Wind, the applicant for the Cascade Wind project, has announced that it is changing its name. The name is changed from UPC Wind to First Wind. The company issued this announcment on May 1, 2008. In their announcement, First Wind stated that:
"...you should notice no change in the day-to-day relationships that you have had with UPC Wind. The organizational structure and local project teams will remain the same."
First Wind issued a press release announcing this name change. To see the press release go to:
http://www.firstwind.com/aboutFirstWind/news.cfm?ID=0222c1ec%2Daca0%2D47ce%2D93f9%2Df59032009184
The Department has noted the name change, and will continue to await supplemental information from First Wind regarding the proposed Cascade Wind project.
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| Biglow Canyon Wind Farm - Amendment |
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Portland General Electric Company (PGE) has submitted a Request for Amendment #3 of the Site Certificate for the Biglow Canyon Wind Farm.
Request for Amendment #3, August 2008 [1.0 MB pdf] (main text)
Figures [5.3 MB pdf]
Attachment 1 (proposed changes to site certificate) [1.02 MB pdf]
Attachment 2 (calculations of habitat impacts) [1.24 MB pdf]
Attachment 3 (facility retirement costs) [768 kb pdf]
Attachment 4 (Sherman County setback ordinance) [828 kb pdf]
Attachment 5 (sensitive species survey) [1.81 MB pdf]
Attachment 6 (wetlands and waters survey) [1.74 MB pdf]
Attachment 7 (noise analysis) [846 kb pdf]
The proposed amendment addresses changes needed to accommodate the design of the second phase of construction. The use of Siemens turbines for the second and third phases of construction requires modifications of turbine corridors, access roads, collector lines and temporary crane paths due to the manufacturer’s technical requirements for interconnection of turbines to the collection system and stricter limitations on the allowable grade of the crane paths. The certificate holder proposes to relocate several access roads to reduce the grade and to minimize the division of agricultural fields.
If approved, Amendment #3 would include the following changes:
- Expand the facility site to accommodate the following:
a. Approximately 3 miles of new access roads.
b. Approximately 7.6 miles of new collector lines.
c. Approximately 13.3 miles of temporary crane paths.
d. Northward extension of previously-approved turbine corridors 1, 3 and 20.
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Revise the description of the operations and maintenance facilities.
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Revise Condition 52 to allow limited use of lighting for nighttime construction.
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Revise Condition 59 to address any impacts to Category 3 or Category 4 habitat from construction in the northward extension of Corridor 3.
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Revise Condition 98 to require compliance with any written fire protection recommendations from the Fire Chief of the applicable Rural Fire Protection District.
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Add a new Condition 128 to address Sherman County Ordinance No. 39-2007 regarding setback requirements for wind turbines.
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Add a new Condition 129 to ensure protection of a potential jurisdictional water (stream channel) identified in the amendment request.
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Revise the calculation of habitat impacts and the site restoration cost estimate to address the proposed changes to the facility and the site.
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Remove Conditions 117 and 123 and revise Conditions 102, 105, 108, 116, 119, 120, 121 and 122 to conform to the Council rules as revised effective May 15, 2007.
PGE has described the proposed changes to the Site Certificate in more detail in the amendment request.
The Department invites public comment on the proposed amendment. Please submit your comments in writing by mail, fax or e-mail. We must receive your comments no later than September 5, 2008. After reviewing the amendment request and considering any comments received, the Department will issue a Proposed Order on the amendment request. We will post the Proposed Order on this website. There will be an additional public comment period at that time.
Comments and Questions
If you have comments or questions about this notice, contact John White by e-mail or by mail to: Oregon Department of Energy, 625 Marion Street NE, Salem Oregon 97301-3737, Telephone: 503-378-3194 or (800) 221-8035, extension 295 (toll-free in Oregon); Fax: (503) 373-7806.
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