Following a request for proposals, Avista Corp. – an energy company serving Washington, Idaho and Oregon – has chosen to purchase power from the Rattlesnake Flat Wind project in Adams County, Wash.
Clearway Energy Group is developing Rattlesnake Flat Wind, which has already secured necessary permits. It will provide Avista with approximately 50 average MW of renewable energy, or as much as 144 MW of nameplate wind capacity, under a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA), with deliveries beginning in 2020.
The PPA is expected to offset higher-priced market purchases for Avista. The PPA aligns with Avista’s 2017 integrated resource plan, which identifies that the utility will consider acquiring additional resources if they have lower long-term costs than those of electric market alternatives. Avista expects to recover the cost of the power purchased through its retail rates.
“Recent market changes, including reductions in the cost of wind power facilities and tax incentives that remain in effect, have combined to make this an excellent time to acquire long-term output from a cost-effective wind resource, which has the added benefit of being located in our service territory,” says Jason Thackston, senior vice president of energy resources for Avista. “Rattlesnake Flat will help Avista meet its goal of providing reliable energy to our customers at a reasonable cost while bringing even more renewable energy to our region, now and in the future.”
“We’ve been closely working with key stakeholders in Adams County, developing partnerships with landowners, businesses and local government to enable this project, and entering into this long-term partnership with Avista is a very exciting next step,” says Benjamin Fairbanks, senior director of wind development at Clearway. “We’re proud that Rattlesnake Flat will be a source of homegrown renewable energy for the State of Washington and for Avista’s customers for many years to come.”
The wind farm will generate enough crenewable energy to power about 37,600 of Avista customers’ homes. Situated on 20,000 privately owned acres of land near Lind, Wash., Rattlesnake Flat will tie into Avista’s electric system via Avista’s Lind/Washtucna transmission line.
