Shepherds Flat Wind Farm
| Shepherds Flat Wind Farm | |
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 Location of Shepherds Flat Wind Farm in Oregon
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| Country | United States |
| Location | Near Arlington, Oregon |
| Coordinates | 45°42′N 120°04′W / 45.70°N 120.06°WCoordinates: 45°42′N 120°04′W / 45.70°N 120.06°W |
| Status | Operational |
| Commission date | 2012 |
| Owner(s) | Caithness Energy |
| Power generation | |
| Units operational | 338 |
| Make and model | General Electric: GE2.5XL 2.5 MW |
| Nameplate capacity | 845 MW |
| Annual gross output | 2,000 GWh |
The Shepherds Flat Wind Farm is an 845 megawatt (MW) wind farm in the U.S. state of Oregon. The facility is located in Eastern Oregon in both Morrow and Gilliam counties, near Arlington. Approved in 2008 by state regulators, groundbreaking came in 2009. The wind farm was built by Caithness Energy using General Electric (GE) 2.5 MW wind turbines, and it supplies electricity to Southern California Edison. The wind farm is estimated to have an economic impact of $16 million annually for Oregon. It is one of the largest land-based wind farms in the world. It officially opened in September 2012.
The wind farm is located in Eastern Oregon in both Morrow and Gilliam counties, with the majority of the turbines to be in Gilliam County. Oregon provided tax incentives to the developer to help land the facility, but the project is expected to provide Gilliam County with about $5 million annually in taxes and fees when it is operating. Shepherds Flat is entirely on private property approximately 5 miles (8.0 km) southeast of the city of Arlington between Oregon Route 19 and Oregon Route 74. Construction on the project is expected to employ 400 people to build 90 miles (140 km) of power lines and 85 miles (137 km) of roads on the 30-square-mile (78 km2) wind farm.
Plans for the project first came in 2002 for a 105 megawatt project, with the plan changed to larger project in 2004. The project was then submitted to the state in 2006 with plans to have the first phase online in 2008. Early plans called for 303 turbines and a generating capacity of 909 megawatts. At the time, it would have doubled the capacity for wind-generated power in Oregon. The farm is divided into several sections, with the Willow Creek Wind Farm between two of the larger segments.
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