Portland General Electric Co. (PGE) has withdrawn a petition requesting a one-time waiver of Oregon Public Utility Commission (OPUC) competitive bidding guidelines for new energy resources.
The petition was filed Sept. 2 and reflected PGE's need to execute a time-sensitive agreement with Renewable Energy Systems Americas Inc. for PGE's acquisition of the development-rights assets for the Rock Creek Wind Farm in Gilliam County, Ore.
‘Based on our preliminary evaluation, this project has excellent wind energy potential, but new regulatory developments affecting the entire wind energy industry make it unlikely that we will be able to complete a transaction on the timeline both PGE and RES Americas had expected, so our request for a waiver is no longer necessary,’ says Jim Lobdell, vice president for power operations and resource strategy at PGE.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service issued new guidance for development of renewable energy facilities that could require wind developers to complete additional surveys and develop plans to avoid or minimize wind farm impacts on certain avian species, potentially extending the time required to evaluate and develop new renewable projects in areas likely to include select species.
The Rock Creek project area occupies leased sites in eastern Oregon, and like much of the western U.S., includes areas intended to be covered by the new guidance.
PGE has also withdrawn its request to the OPUC for an accounting order regarding treatment of expenditures relating to the Rock Creek project.
SOURCE: Portland General Electric Co.
