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BPA Plans Wind Power Acquisitionby Associated PressGuest column, Spokesman Review, February 23, 2001 |
The federal agency wants to buy as much as 1,000 megawatts of power,
its largest-ever wind purchase
The Bonneville Power Administration announced Thursday it is making its largest-ever purchase of wind power, a resource that has become extremely cost competitive as electricity prices soar.
The federal power marketing agency plans to buy as much as 1,000 megawatts of wind-generated electricity by 2003, most from generating stations yet to be built.
"It's the largest renewable energy purchase we've ever made, if we buy all of it," said George Darr, renewable resource program manager for Portland-based BPA.
Despite the size of the BPA commitment to wind power, it still remains only a fraction of the regional power supply.
Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Montana depend on hydropower to supply nearly two-thirds of their electricity, with coal adding about 21 percent and natural gas about 9 percent, according to figures compiled by the Northwest Power Planning Council.
Wind provides less than 1 percent, said Jeff King, senior resource analyst for the four-state council based in Portland.
The BPA markets electricity from 29 hydropower dams and one nuclear plant in the Northwest.
Like hydroelectricity generated at dams affected by seasonal changes in snow and rainfall, wind power can be an extremely variable power source.
"When the wind blows, you get power, and when it doesn't, you don't," said planning council spokesman John Harrison. "You can't make the wind blow harder."
But Darr of the BPA said high electricity prices have spurred developer interest in wind power, and a BPA commitment to purchasing power should spur construction of new generators needed to boost Northwest power production.
"It's a long-term solution, and it will be part of any utility's portfolio," Darr said.
Rep. Greg Walden, R-Ore., co-chairman of the House Renewable Energy Caucus and the sole Northwest member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, said he strongly supports the wind power plan.
"With rising prices hitting families hard this winter, it is clear that we need to increase power generation in the Northwest," Walden said.
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