Power Company of Wyoming to construct 3GW wind farm

The State of Wyoming’s Industrial Siting Council has approved Power Company of Wyoming (PCW) for the construction and operation of the 3GW Chokecherry and Sierra Madre (CCSM) wind energy project in the US.

The project, likely to cost $5bn, is planned to be developed in two phases, creating 114 operations and maintenance jobs, and would generate enough energy for about 1 million households in western US.

Considered to be the largest wind farm in Wyoming and one of the largest in the world once completed, the CCSM project will be designed to help reduce greenhouse-gas emissions and meet increasing demand for renewable energy in the US.

Construction on phase one is expected to start by the end of 2014 while work on the second phase is planned to commence in the second quarter of 2019.

The project will comprise 1,000 wind turbines and will cover about 2,000 acres of private and US government-owned lands near Rawlins.

PCW president and CEO Bill Miller said: "Both the Industrial Siting Council and the Industrial Siting Division carefully reviewed and considered our application, and we appreciate their focus on ensuring that Wyoming’s high standards were met across all aspects of the project.

"Receiving the permit is a significant milestone that clears the way for us in Wyoming to contribute to the state’s longtime leadership in generating and delivering cost-effective energy supplies to the markets that need them. It’s also the last major non-federal permit needed to move this wind energy project forward."