Klickitat County  - Lots of Energy

Klickitat County has made a significant commitment to energy generation with development and implementation of the Energy Overlay Zone. The County's Planning department oversees applications for, and approval of, applications for energy generating facility construction. The Zone identifies sections of the county suitable for gas, wind, and solar energy development. The map below shows approximate location of the windmill sites. An updated detailed current map is also available.

Courtesy Klickitat County Economic Development Department

Wind Turbines and Irrigation	Energizer Substation	Lots of Windmills

In total, the county currently has 14 wind energy sites with planned capacity of more than 1800 MWe and the Goldendale gas turbine plant rated at 277 MWe. The Dalles Dam east of Dallesport has generating capacity of 1780 MWe. The John Day Dam, located near the site of the Goldendale Aluminum has a generating capacity of 2160 MWe.

The Dalles Dam	John  Day Dam	Goldendale Energy Plant

With all of this energy being generated locally, Klickitat County could be a good location for energy-intensive industries. In all, 6097 MWe is generated in or adjacent to the county. However, users dependent on high water usage would be restricted to the Columbia River area because water on the upper elevations is scarce.

Wind farms currently in the tax base include the following:

• Big Horn Wind Energy Project LLC

• Harvest Wind Project

• Northwest Wind Partners LLC

• Summit Power

• Tuolumne Wind Project LLC

• Windy Flats Partners

Two completed projects, not currently being taxed are:

• Big Horn II Wind Energy Project LLC

• Juniper Canyon Project Phase 1

The graphic below illustrates the principle of electricity generation by wind.

Courtesy AWEA and Cannon Power Group

Wind Farm Values and Impacts in Klickitat County, describes Klickitat county assessments completed to date with recommendations for improvement in assessing wind turbine properties. The document also contains a linked Excel spreadsheet, Section 10_Wind_Projects_Table.xls which includes assessed values, taxes and tax district assignments, and generation data. The county environmental impact assessment for the Energy Overlay Zone is linked on the Klickitat County website.

Photos showing wind farms throughout Klickitat county are available at Bruce Forster Photography and Google.

Updated: Saturday April 30, 2011