USA - GE Wins $1.4 Bln Wind Farm Contract

Power company Caithness Energy has given General Electric a $1.4 billion contract to supply wind turbines and 10 years’ worth of maintenance for an Oregon wind farm.

The 845-megawatt wind farm, Shepherds Flat, will be located near Arlington, Oregon, but span approximately 30 square miles and cover parts of Oregon’s Gilliam and Morrow Counties. GE estimates that it will supply 338 of its 2.5 megawatt wind turbine models to be installed between 2011 and 2012. Although they have been used in Europe and Asia, the company says the Shepherds Flat project will include the first U.S. installations of these specific GE turbines, reports CNET News.

“When completed, the Shepherds Flat project will be larger than any wind farm currently in operation around the globe,” GE said in a statement. Shepherds Flat, which has been contracted to provide to power utility S. California Edison, is predicted to generate about two billion kilowatt-hours per year. That’s enough power to supply about 235,000 households annually, according to statistics provided by GE.

That power does not come without significant layout costs. New York-based Caithness Energy predicts that the project setup will cost $2 billion, including necessary improvements to area roads.