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Goodnoe Hills Wind Project
Submitting Company: PacifiCorp

Location: Goldendale, Washington
Cost: $100 million
Start Date: February 2019
Completion Date: December 2019
Owner/Developer: PacifiCorp
Subcontractors: Barnhart Crane, Black & Veatch, DNV GL, Herling, Hood River Concrete, IEA Constructors, JMS Wind Energy, Pcubed, Vestas, Wilson Works

The Goodnoe Hills wind energy facility was originally completed in May 2008 with 47 turbines with a nameplate capacity of 94 megawatts. The project represented a milestone in the development of wind energy in the Northwest and, employing towers manufactured in Washington state, it helped establish the region as a hub for the U.S. renewable energy industry.

The rapid advancement of turbine technology since then made it possible to repower the project with new turbine technology that incorporates larger blades and higher-capacity generators capable of generating more cost-effective renewable energy for PacifiCorp鈥檚 customers.

Vestas-American Wind Technology Inc. engineered the repowering project and supplied the tower adapter sections and new turbines. The repowering effort replaced the 47 old Senvion MM92 turbines with 47 new Vestas V110-2.2 turbines that are anticipated to increase the renewable energy generated at the facility by more than 25 percent. The increased output is sufficient to supply renewable energy to an additional 6,300 homes.

鈥淩epowering the wind facility benefits PacifiCorp鈥檚 customers by increasing energy production, reducing operating costs, extending the useful life of the wind facility, and requalifying the facility for federal production tax credits, while supporting the local economy through construction employment and increased local tax revenues,鈥� according to PacifiCorp.

The scope of work included contracting various technical experts to complete wind condition verification for the site, an evaluation of increased energy production from the project, complete necessary engineering and technical reviews, and assist with project permitting.

The project team encountered and overcame several technical challenges, including the necessity to upgrade the existing turbine foundations to increase their ability to resist the loads of the larger turbines and meet required design standards.

Another unique problem was the incompatibility between the original tower top and the new turbine nacelle. Vestas solved this problem by designing, engineering and manufacturing new 23-foot tower adapter sections that mated the existing tower and the new nacelle.

A global supply chain played a key role in the project. Vestas sourced the blades for the project from a factory in Brazil, which shipped the blades to the Port of Vancouver and they were then trucked through the Columbia River Gorge to the project site. From a safety perspective, the project had a commendable safety record and achieved an OSHA recordable incident rate that was 60 percent lower than the industry average.

PacifiCorp ultimately plans to repower all of its existing 1,000-plus megawatt wind fleet.