The Wyoming Industrial Siting Council, which is in charge of granting permits to large-scale industrial projects in the state, has unanimously approved Power Company of Wyoming's (PCW) plans for a 3 GW wind farm. The developer has proposed to install 1,000 turbines for the Chokecherry and Sierra Madre Wind Energy (CCSM) Project, located in Carbon County, Wyo.
PCW submitted its permit application with the state regulators in May. According to a report in the Casper Star-Tribune, the seven council members were impressed by PCW's application.
‘They just did a first-class job in submitting what was required,’ said Shawn Warner, a council member who admitted he was initially unsure about permitting the giant wind farm. ‘They literally left no stone unturned.’
The Casper Star-Tribune says a PCW spokesperson called the permit approval "another significant milestone in the development process.’ Two years ago, the CCSM Project also received a conditional use permit from Carbon County. In addition to state-level permits, the CCSM Project requires federal consent because half of the wind farm is planned to be on federally owned land.
Last October, the U.S. Department of the Interior approved the site for wind energy development, and the agency is reviewing site-specific plans for the project. PCW has also applied for an eagle take permit from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
According to an Industrial Siting Council document, PCW hopes to commence construction on the first 500-turbine phase of the project by year-end and finish by the end of 2018. Construction on the second phase is planned to begin in the second quarter of 2019.
