Abstract
BPA needs to acquire resources to meet its customers' load growth. In meeting that need for power, BPA will consider the following purposes: protecting BPA and its customers against risk by diversifying its resource portfolio; assuring consistency with its responsibilities under the Pacific Northwest Electric Power Planning and Conservation Act to encourage the development of renewable resources; meeting customer demand for renewable resources; assuring consistency with its resource acquisition strategy; and meeting the objectives of its Power Business Line's Strategic Plan. The FEIS evaluates the environmental impacts of the Proposed Action (to execute one or more power purchase and transmission services agreements to acquire and transmit up to the full electric output of the proposed project) and the No Action Alternative. BPA's preferred alternative is the Proposed Action. BPA has also identified the Proposed Action as the environmentally-preferred alternative.
The proposed project would be located on private agricultural land in Gilliam County, Oregon. The 38-acre project site is located within a 4,200-acre study area located on both sides of Oregon Highway 206, approximately 5 miles northwest of the town of Condon. The project would use 600-kilowatt (kW) wind turbines to convert energy in the winds to electricity that would be transmitted over the existing BPA transmission system. The project would be built in two phases: the first phase would use 41 wind turbines to yield a capacity of approximately 24.6 megawatts (MW); a second phase (if built) would use 42 wind turbines to yield a capacity of approximately 25.2 MW. For purposes of this FEIS, the size of the project is assumed to be 49.8 MW. Major components of the wind project include wind turbines and foundations, small pad-mounted transformers, an operation and maintenance building, power collection and communication cables, project access roads, meteorological towers on foundations, and a substation. During construction there would also be temporary equipment storage and construction staging areas. Impacts to most environmental resources would be minor. However, the project would alter the visual landscape, increase bird mortality by 50-230 birds per year, and bring jobs and tax revenue to the surrounding area. The first phase is proposed for construction in late 2001; the second phase could be constructed during spring/summer 2002 or later.