Northern Oregon is set to host the world’s largest wind farm, now that the U.S. Department of Energy has decided to provide Caithness Energy’s Shepherds Flat project with a $1.3 billion loan guarantee. Once constructed near Arlington, Oregon, the farm will feature nearly 340 wind turbines that can generate 845 megawatts of power.

 

Currently, the largest wind farm is in Texas, where the Horse Hollow Wind Energy Center puts out 735.5 megawatts.

 

Caithness Energy and GE Energy Financial Services, which are jointly behind the project, say it will employ 400 workers during construction and 35 workers during operation. The wind farm also will help prevent more 1.2 million tons of carbon dioxide from being released into the atmosphere by fossil-fuel energy plants, according to the companies.

 

The energy produced by the wind farm will be purchased by Southern California Edison to provide power for about 235,000 homes for twenty years.

-Noel Brinkerhoff

 

DOE LPO Finalizes Deal on the World’s Largest Wind Project to Date (U.S. Department of Energy)

World’s Biggest Wind Farm Gets Backing (by Herman K. Trabish, Green Tech Media)

Three More Notes About the Shepherds Flat Wind Farm (by Terrence Murray, Green Energy Reporter)