Puget Sound Energy (PSE), Bellevue, WA, is developing the Beaver Creek wind farm, a utility-scale wind project that will be located on the high plains in Stillwater County, MT.
The wind farm will have an expected initial nameplate capacity of 248 megawatts (MW), enough energy to power about 83,000 homes a year, according to the press release. Additionally, there will be an opportunity to add wind turbines in neighboring Sweet Grass County, as well as a lithium-ion battery energy storage system to shape Beaver Creek’s variable wind output and better match PSE’s customer energy needs. Montana wind has a high production rate especially valuable during extremely cold weather in the Pacific Northwest, when high pressure systems mean that Washington wind farms produce less energy.
The Beaver Creek wind farm is the latest addition in a growing list of renewable energy resources PSE is acquiring as it works toward complying with Washington state’s clean energy laws. By 2030, the amount of new, non-emitting generation resources PSE will need to have is more than the utility has accumulated in its 150-year history.
The Beaver Creek project will utilize federal tax credits and comply with provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act that emphasize the importance of union and/or prevailing wage jobs and apprenticeship programs for tradespeople involved with the project. It’s also PSE’s intent to use domestically produced products when possible. The wind farm is expected to utilize an estimated 150-200 skilled workers during construction with an ongoing need for 10-15 permanent on-site workers during operation. Construction is set to begin in the spring of 2024, with the facility expecting to be operational in 2025.