EUGENE WATER  &  ELECTRIC  BOARD

EWEB partnered with PacifiCorp to develop the Foote Creek I Wind Project. EWEB owns 21.21% of the the project, which was constructed along the Foote Creek Rim in Carbon County, Wyo. Foote Creek Rim is a remote, treeless plateau between Laramie and Rawlins in southeastern Wyoming. This is considered to be one of the premier wind energy development sites in the United States, with an average annual wind speed of approximately 24 miles per hour. The Foote Creek I Wind Project was Wyoming's first commercial facility to generate electricity from wind. The project began commercial operation on Earth Day, April 22, 1999.

In addition to strong winds, Foote Creek Rim has some of the most extreme temperatures of any area in the country, with winter temperatures falling as low as 30 degrees below zero. Many of the Northwest's best wind sites are located in similar areas, so scientists are watching the Foote Creek project to learn more about operating wind farms in high-altitude, cold-weather environments.

The land around the wind farm's towers is primarily owned by ranchers or the federal Bureau of Land Management. Ninety-nine percent of this land can continue to be used for grazing, even as the project generates electricity.

Electronic control systems point each turbine into the wind and adjust the pitch of the blades to make the best use of wind at any speed. The turbines can generate power at wind speeds of 8 to 65 mph. At higher speeds the turbines automatically shut down – a feature which allows them to withstand Wyoming's 125 mph gusts. The turbines are also adapted to operate reliably in extremely cold conditions.

SeaWest WindPower Inc. and Tomen Power Corp., both based in San Diego, Calif., built the original project. After three other projects were later constructed next to the original site, the EWEB/PacifiCorp site became known as the Foote Creek I Wind Project.