By Emma Renly
For Columbia Gorge News
KLICKITAT CO. — An announcement last month from Avangrid Renewables said that electricity generated by two of its projects in Klickitat County — Bluebird Solar and Juniper Canyon Wind — has been contracted under a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with Microsoft.
Together, the projects have a combined generating capacity of up to 390 megawatts (MW) at peak output, but actual electricity production varies based on seasons, weather and time of day.
When asked what infrastructure the electricity purchased by Microsoft would support, Keaton Thomas, Avangrid external communications manager, said Bluebird Solar will connect to the regional electric grid and “support the reliable delivery of electricity throughout the region,” but did not identify any specific Microsoft facilities.
Microsoft currently runs multiple data centers in Washington state under its company name — two in Quincy and one in East Wenatchee. Another is being developed in Malaga, where Microsoft has contracted with Helion Energy to purchase electricity from a planned nuclear fusion power plant.
In addition, Avangrid Renewables contracted electricity generated from Wasco County’s Daybreak Solar and Bakeoven Solar projects to Intel through Portland General Electric’s Green Future Impact Program. Intel currently runs four large facilities in Hillsboro, known as “campuses.”
Both Bluebird Solar and Juniper Canyon Wind are located within Klickitat County’s Energy Overlay Zone (see related story on A7), and received county approval before the PPA was announced.
The Bluebird Solar Energy Project is situated 26 miles east of Goldendale, within 670 acres of a 1,728-acre plot of private and state-leased land. However, Washington State Department of Natural Resources land within the project area will only be used for a temporary construction road, due to Yakama Nation concerns about access to public lands. That portion won’t contain fencing or solar panels, either.
Commercial operation of the solar facility, designed to have 140 MW of solar panel capacity, is expected by 2028.
Just east of Bluebird Solar towards Bickleton is the Juniper Canyon Wind Energy Project, spanning more than 28,000 acres.
Phase I has been operational since 2011, with 63 wind turbines with a generating capacity of 150 MW. Phase II, operational in 2013, has 65 wind turbines with a capacity of 100 MW. The energy generated connects to the Bonneville Power Administration’s (BPA) Rock Creek Substation, but the previous electricity buyer was not confirmed.
The turbines are currently undergoing a repowering effort, with the project expected to return to operation sometime this year. Thomas was unable to confirm additional details about Juniper Canyon Wind.
In Klickitat County, Avangrid also owns and operates Lund Hill Solar and Big Horn Wind Farm, which have PPAs with Puget Sound Energy. Avangrid is a subsidiary of the Iberdrola Group, a Spain-based multinational electric utility.
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