The Carbon County (Wyoming) Board of County Commissioners has approved Power Company of Wyoming LLC's (PCW) application for a conditional-use permit for the proposed Chokecherry and Sierra Madre Wind Energy Project, which could have a total capacity of up to 3 GW.
The permit approval aligned with the outcome from the Carbon County Planning & Zoning Commission, which voted to recommend approval of the permit to the Carbon County Board of County Commissioners at a public meeting and hearing on Sept. 17.
The 2 GW to 3 GW wind farm is sited approximately 50% on private land and 50% on federal land within the boundaries of a ranch owned and operated by The Overland Trail Cattle Co. LLC. The ranch is a 320,000-acre property located south of Sinclair and Rawlins.
The ranch lies within Carbon County's ranching, agriculture and mining zone, where wind energy development is considered an appropriate conditionally permitted land use.
Therefore, PCW filed a conditional-use permit application with Carbon County in July, outlining how PCW's development plans comply with statutory and regulatory requirements for wind energy, as well as how the project meets the county's conditional-use permit criteria and land-use plan goals. Ranching and agricultural operations across the ranch will continue without any material change.
The final environmental impact statement for the project was released in July.
PCW will pursue the necessary permit from the Wyoming Industrial Siting Council to construct, operate and decommission the proposed wind project. PCW anticipates filing its permit application with the Industrial Siting Division in November.
