The Glacier Wind Farm spans southwest Glacier County and southeast Toole County in northern Montana. With a total generating capacity of 210 megawatts (MW), it became the largest wind farm in the state when the second construction phase came online at the end of 2009. A portion of the electricity is purchased by San Diego Gas and Electric.[1]
| Glacier Wind Farm | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Official name | Glacier Wind Farm |
| Country | United States |
| Location | Glacier and Toole County near Ethridge, Montana |
| Coordinates | 48°30′28″N 112°05′27″W / 48.50778°N 112.09083°W |
| Status | Operational |
| Construction began | July 2007 |
| Commission date | Oct 2008 (phase I), Oct 2009 (phase II) |
| Construction cost | $500 million |
| Owner | NaturEner |
| Operator | NaturEner |
| Wind farm | |
| Type | Onshore |
| Power generation | |
| Units operational | 140 turbines |
| Make and model | Acciona AW77 1.5 MW |
| Nameplate capacity | 210 MW |
| Capacity factor | 29.5% (average 2010-2019) |
| Annual net output | 542 GW·h |
Facility details
editThe facility is located off of U.S. Highway 2 south of the unincorporated community of Ethridge, between the cities of Cut Bank and Shelby, and spans about 25,000 acres. It was constructed in two phases by Mortenson Construction, starting with a groundbreaking celebration in July 2007.[2] The completed facility consists of 140 wind turbines and their foundations, electrical substations, maintenance buildings, access roads, underground collection lines, and overhead transmission lines.[3]
Phase I entered service in October 2008 and uses 71 Acciona 1.7 MW turbines.[4][5] Phase II came online in October 2009 and uses an additional 69 Acciona 1.7 MW turbines.[1][6] The 189 MW Rim Rock Wind Farm was subsequently completed about 15 miles to the north in 2012. In addition to the hundreds of construction jobs and millions of dollars in cumulative land lease payments and tax revenues, about 10-15 permanent local jobs were also created to maintain the facilities over their lifetime.[7]
Electricity production
edit| Year | Glacier I (106.5 MW) [8] |
Glacier II (103.5 MW) [9] |
Total Annual MW·h |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 249,079 | 43,184* | 292,263 |
| 2010 | 211,679 | 215,595 | 427,274 |
| 2011 | 308,543 | 321,846 | 630,389 |
| 2012 | 290,267 | 286,948 | 577,215 |
| 2013 | 284,762 | 276,187 | 560,949 |
| 2014 | 272,897 | 259,192 | 532,089 |
| 2015 | 260,622 | 258,022 | 518,644 |
| 2016 | 284,566 | 290,305 | 574,871 |
| 2017 | 287,367 | 286,219 | 573,586 |
| 2018 | 260,131 | 248,208 | 508,339 |
| 2019 | 254,813 | 264,259 | 519,072 |
| Average Annual Production (years 2010-2019) ---> | 542,243 | ||
| Average Capacity Factor (years 2010-2019) ---> | 29.5% | ||
(*) partial year of operation
See also
edit
References
edit- ^ a b LeAnne Kavanagh (October 28, 2009). "Glacier Wind Farm is state's biggest wind energy project". Shelby Promoter.
- ^ LeAnne Kavanagh (July 23, 2008). "NaturEner shows off $500 million Glacier Wind farm". Cut Bank Pioneer Press.
- ^ "Glacier Wind Farm Phase I and II". mortenson.com. Retrieved April 30, 2019.
- ^ Karl Puckett (October 15, 2008). "Glacier Wind Farm goes live". Great Falls Tribune.
- ^ "Glacier I (USA)". thewindpower.net. Retrieved April 30, 2019.
- ^ "Glacier II (USA)". thewindpower.net. Retrieved April 30, 2019.
- ^ "Rim Rock Wind Farm, Montana". Power Technology. Retrieved April 30, 2019.
- ^ "Glacier I, Annual". Electricity Data Browser. Energy Information Administration. Retrieved April 30, 2019.
- ^ "Glacier II, Annual". Electricity Data Browser. Energy Information Administration. Retrieved April 30, 2019.