Puget Sound Energy (PSE) and RES Americas have begun preliminary studies in Columbia and Garfield counties for future wind energy development, which they believe will offer significant environmental and economic benefits, said the company.
The company said that the region includes PSE’s Hopkins Ridge Wind Facility near Dayton in Columbia County, which opened in 2005 after being developed and constructed by RES Americas. In addition, RES Americas constructed PSE’s Wild Horse Wind Facility, which opened in 2006 near Ellensburg in Kittitas County, and has been selected by PSE as primary contractor in a planned expansion of Wild Horse slated for 2009. Working with PacifiCorp, RES Americas also developed and built the Marengo I and II facilities in Columbia County.
PSE and RES Americas have applied to the Bonneville Power Administration for up to 1,250MW of transmission interconnection to support potential future wind projects in southeast Washington.
Craig Mataczynski, president of RES Americas, said: “RES Americas has an experience in design and construction across the US, while PSE has good ties to the communities in which it operates.”
Puget Sound Energy, a subsidiary of Puget Energy, meets the energy needs of its customer base primarily in Western Washington through incremental, cost-effective energy conservation and procurement of sustainable energy resources.
