Wind trumping coal-
Power line efforts please wind developers
By The Associated Press
CASPER - A private wind developer says Wyoming's efforts to improve its power transmission grid have drawn the interest of wind power investors from around the world.
"The Wyoming Legislature, and in particular Gov. Dave Freudenthal, have done a stellar job of planning and executing new transmission out of Wyoming," Bruce Morley said. "The Wyoming Infrastructure Authority has been a leader in that."
Steve Waddington, executive director of the Wyoming Infrastructure Authority, said one proposal to expand power lines from eastern Wyoming to Colorado's Front Range has drawn more than enough interest from power-generation investors.
Waddington said that rather than tying into coal-fired plants, as originally planned, wind power now looks to be the first source of electricity for the project. Coal-fired plants would tie in afterward.
"There is definitely a lot of wind development going on in Wyoming right now," he said.
Several international investors attended a recent Wyoming Infrastructure Authority meeting in Jackson. They included Tokyo Electric Power Co. and Toyota, which are building 60-plus wind turbines near Medicine Bow.
Helping drive the demand for electricity is the state's thriving oil and gas industry, which needs electricity for its facilities.
Basin Electric Power Cooperative says energy development is the driving force for its planned 385-megawatt coal-fired Dry Fork Station near Gillette. Rocky Mountain Power expects its Wyoming demand to quadruple due to energy development in western and central Wyoming.
Morley said he hopes that demand for more electricity in Wyoming might leave more export capacity on power lines leaving the state.
Whether that happens remains to be seen.
"In principle, the idea is intriguing," said Ron Lehr, of the American Wind Energy Association. "In practice, it's going to be difficult to get significant amounts of transmission in that manner."
He said wind projects will need long-term access to power lines.
"Your banker is going to want to know, 'Do you have access to transmission?"'
But Lehr said Wyoming does seem to be getting closer to answering that question with its efforts through the Wyoming Infrastructure Authority.
"Now, a new 345-kilovolt line - that could provide a wind rush," he said.
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