The 330MW Boswell Springs wind project is being developed by Innergex Renewable Energy, a power generation company, in Albany County, Wyoming, US.
Innergex is developing the project with an estimated investment of $576m. Construction on the project commenced in the second quarter (Q2) of 2023 and is expected to be completed in Q4 2024.
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It is expected to generate between 150 and 200 jobs during the construction phase and ten full-time jobs during operations.
Furthermore, the project is set to generate $65m in property tax, $34m in wind generation tax, and $20m in sales and use tax during its 30-year lifespan, which will directly benefit the local community.
Location
The Boswell Springs wind project site covers an area of 21,500 acres of privately held land in Albany County, Wyoming.
It is located approximately 14 miles north-east of Rock River and 20 miles east of Medicine Bow, both towns.
Boswell Springs wind project details
The Boswell Springs wind project will be installed with 97 3.4MW Generic Electric (GE) Vernova Sierra wind turbine generators and related interconnection facilities.
The Sierra wind turbines feature a 140m rotor and have a hub height of 321.5ft. The turbines feature twin blades with a length of 68.7m, which reduces logistical issues and offers better site installation and serviceability options.
The turbines feature a yaw system with hydraulic braking, noise-reduced operation, and GE’s patented Loads Control system. The hub includes three hatches for internal access and a low torque bearing to reduce mean load.
The turbine’s electrical system includes a simplified design and a double-fed induction generator with a power converter. Down tower assembly features an external pad-mounted transformer to reduce losses and a MarkVle controller to provide dynamic reactive power.
Power purchase agreement
The electricity produced by the Boswell Springs wind project will be sold to PacifiCorp, as part of a 30-year power purchase agreement signed in January 2023.
PacifiCorp is an electric power business and a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Energy.
Grid connection
The Boswell Springs wind project will be connected to the electrical grid through the Last Mile Transmission line project, which includes the construction of a 34.5-mile-long 230kV transmission line.
The transmission line will run east-west between PacifiCorp’s existing Freezeout substation located in Carbon County and north-east of the wind project. It will use a combination of wooden H-frame and single-steel pole transmission structures located 700ft to 900ft apart.
Each transmission structure will be between 75ft and 110ft high and have a width of 21.5ft at the base. Seven structures are planned to be installed for each mile.
The construction of the Last Mile transmission line commenced in January 2023.
Financing
In July 2023, Innergex secured $534m in construction financing for the project, including a $203m ten-year non-recourse term loan from BNP Paribas, Credit-Agricole CIB, Export Development Canada, and MUFG Bank.
Part of the financing will be used towards the $103m revolving credit facilities used by Innergex for the project.
The project is also eligible for up to 110% of Production Tax Credits (PTC), a federal tax credit provided for renewable energy projects. It is also eligible for 10% of the Energy Community Tax Credit PTC Bonus as it is located within an energy community, as defined in the Inflation Reduction Act.
Contractors involved
GE Vernova, the energy business of GE, was awarded the contract to supply the 3.4MW Sierra wind turbine generators.
Engineer and builder Mortenson is serving as the contractor for the wind farm’s construction.
Meanwhile, AEI is the engineering, procurement, and construction contractor for the Last Mile transmission line.
