The Highland Wind Project: Adding 25 Turbines to Southwetern PA
The Highland Wind Project is located in Adams Township in Southwestern Pennsylvania. Electronic transmission passes through the site and will provide a convenient point for interconnection.
Location: Cambria County, Pennsylvania
Project size: 62.5 megawatts
Turbines: 25 Nordex N90 Turbines (each rated at a capacity of 2.5 megawatts)
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania News Release: A former Cambria County strip (coal) mine in Southwestern PA will soon be home to 25 wind turbines generating enough power to meet the needs of 16,000 homes, according to PA Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).
The $140 million Highland wind project in Southwestern PA is expected to be online later this year (2008) and may produce more than 164,000 megawatt hours of power annually. And, because wind power is free of emissions, the project will prevent 400 million pounds of carbon dioxide—a greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change—from reaching the atmosphere.
The developer, EverPower Renewables has signed a wind energy voluntary agreement with the Pennsylvania Game Commission. Before PA DEP issues any permit on a project that may affect a rare species or habitat, developers are required to search the Pennsylvania Natural Diversity Index and resolve potential impacts that the project may present. EverPower has been participating in the PA Wind Farm and Wildlife Collaborative convened by Governor Edward G. Rendell to help develop wind energy in an environmentally responsible manner.
EverPower anticipates that 450 to 550 jobs will directly and indirectly be created from the construction and operation of the wind project. Everpower’s CEO noted that the “The township, county, and area school districts also will receive revenue each year in tax payments from the wind project.”
PA Environmental Protection Secretary, Kathleen McGinty, said that PA has attracted wind developers such as EverPower and some of the world’s largest clean energy developers and manufacturers — including Gamesa, Iberdrola and Conergy — because of the state’s commitment to renewable energy. The PA Alternative Energy Portfolio Standards Act requires that 18 percent of all energy generated in the state come from alternative and renewable sources by 2021. Approximately 3,000 to 4,000 megawatts of wind capacity are expected to be installed in the state by 2021. Pennsylvania currently has 293 megawatts of installed wind energy capacity; another 298 megawatts of capacity – including Highland’s ~65 megawatts – are expected to come online this year.
Governor Rendell has called on the state Senate to pass separate pieces of legislation approved by the House of Representatives that would further spur the development of renewable energy in Pennsylvania, create 13,000 new jobs, reduce the state’s dependence on foreign oil, and save consumers $1 billion a year on energy costs. The PA House has passed:
- House Bill 1202 to replace nearly 1 billion gallons of imported fuels with homegrown alternatives;
- House Bill 2200 to provide smart meters to consumers that will help them conserve electricity and avoid peak rates; and
- Special Session House Bill 1 to invest $850 million to grow the state’s advanced energy sectors.
For more information on the Rendell’s Energy Independence Strategy, visit www.depweb.state.pa.us, and click on the “Fueling Energy Savings” icon.
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