Proposed/Under Review. On March 27, 2025, the Department received a Notice of Intent for the Heppner Wind Project. The applicant requested that the Department pause processing work on the NOI on April 24, 2025, and requested that work resume on June 10, 2025. The Department issued a Public Notice of the Notice of Intent on July 17, 2025. The public comment period on the NOI, which started on that date, and concluded on August 22, 2025.
On August 12, 2025, the Department hosted a public informational meeting on the NOI at the Willow Street Innovation Hub in Heppner, Oregon. A copy of the material presented at the informational meeting and a recording of the presentation is provided below:
On October 10, 2025, the Department issued a Project Order establishing the statutes, administrative rules, council standards, local ordinances, application requirements and study requirements for the site certificate application in the coming months. The applicant has indicated that it expects to submit a preliminary application in December 2025. Unless an extension is granted by the Council, the NOI will expire if a preliminary application is not submitted by March 27, 2027.