45
TRANSPORT
SITE REPORT
NOVEMBER 2013
ACT
in the planning stage and they came to
the site with the right people, including
engineers, to figure out a solution, which
they turned around in a few weeks,” says
Heather Helgen, construction manager,
McKinstry. “They were very professional,
responsive and the project was a success.
The team was great to work with.”
Today, the five turbines are delivering
4.25 megawatts of electricity, enough to
power more than 1,000 homes annually.
McKinstry partnered with Puget Sound
Energy to connect the wind project to
the local grid for local consumption.
The relatively small turbines serve as
a model for how to efficiently harness
and keep abundant resources within the
communities where they reside.
“These five turbines represent forward
thinking about energy development
in our county,” says Kittitas County
Commissioner Paul Jewell. “This project
is a great example of the ways the county
and property owners can work together
to enhance our energy production
independence, reduce energy costs and
leverage local resources to build industry.”
The project was made possible in
part through a $9 million allocation of
Qualified Energy Conservation Bonds
issued by the Washington State Housing
Finance Commission. This was the first
use of QEC Bonds for private activity in
Washington and the first of its kind for a
wind project in the United States.
“We’re proud to support the local clean-
energy economy,” says Karen Miller,
chair, Washington State Housing Finance
Commission. “Bonds and other financing
tools can make these projects much more
attractive for developers, which in turn
benefits our communities.”
The Gamesa 850-kilowatt platform is
renowned for its reliability and output,
with more than 9,723 units (8,265
megawatts) installed and operating around
the world. “This project enables residents
and businesses to experience firsthand
the economic and environmental benefits
of wind energy,” says David Rosenberg,
vice president, marketing, Gamesa North
America.”
■
2012 moving project began August 28 and
ended November 30.
Omega Morgan man-hours totaled
1,643. After delivering the components,
the company then managed the erection of
the towers. The wind farm became active
in December 2012.
“We brought Omega Morgan in late
Omega Morgan designed, engineered
and fabricated in-house a custom
hydraulically articulating turntable
framework and mounted it to a self-
propelled modular trailer.
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