PGE says its Clearwater Wind Energy Center contributed 1 GW of power from wind sources alone during its first 10 months of operation, a new output record for the company.
The Clearwater Wind Energy Center, located in Rosebud, Custer and Garfield Counties in Eastern Montana, was developed in four phases by a subsidiary of NextEra Energy Resources, which operates and owns part of the facility. PGE owns 208 MW of the center and purchases an additional 103 MW through a PPA.
The Clearwater Wind Energy Center was selected through PGE’s 2021 Request for Proposal, and has been in operation since January.
“In just a few short years, we were able to take the Clearwater Wind Energy Center from a proposal on paper to the efficient, productive facility it is today,” says Maria Pope, PGE president and CEO. “This plant is an example of how working together, we can act quickly to solve some of the biggest challenges facing the energy industry.”
Power generated at the facility is delivered to PGE customers through existing transmission lines on Northwestern and Bonneville Power Administration’s system, as well as an approximately 100-mile generation-tie line connecting to the Colstrip substation.