Reported by Staff

Broomfield-based–Renewable Energy Systems Americas Inc. (RES Americas), has announced the substantial completion of the Wild Horse Expansion Wind Project on November 9th.  The 44 megawatt (MW) project, in Kittitas County Washington, expands the existing Wild Horse Wind Facility from 229 MW to 273 MW through the addition of 22 Vestas V80 2.0 MW wind turbines.   

RES America Construction Inc. served as the Balance of Plant (BOP) construction contractor. The project owner and developer, Puget Sound Energy (PSE), engaged RES Americas after the successful completion of the original
Wild Horse Wind Facility.  

“Wild Horse Expansion Wind Project continues our successful relationship with Puget Sound Energy and we look forward to working on future projects together.” said Chris Hills, VP of Construction Projects for RES Americas.  “Through the completion of Wild Horse Expansion Wind Project, RES Americas continues to deliver the benefits of secure, clean, renewable energy to Washington State.”   

Wild Horse Expansion Project will be capable of powering an additional 11,800 Washington homes, bringing the capability of the entire Wild Horse Wind Facility to approximately 70,000 average American homes.  

For more than a decade, RES Americas has been developing, constructing, owning and operating renewable energy projects. The company employs over 200 full time professionals located throughout North America working on a project portfolio of over 12,500 MW under development.  RES Americas is dedicated to securing a sustainable energy future. 

 Project Facts at-a-Glance

    Turbines and Towers

• 149 wind turbine generators, spanning across 9,000 acres near Ellensburg, Washington.
• Towers are 221 ft high at the hub, 13.2 ft wide at the base and 7.6 ft wide at the top. Towers weigh 104 tons.
• Each turbine consists of 3-blades, each 129 ft long, 11.62 ft at the widest and 1.6 ft at the tip with each blade weighing 14,300 lbs. The rotor (blades, hub and nose cone) weighs 42 tons.
• Turbine generators are V80-1.8 MW and V80-2.0 MW machines manufactured by Vestas, a Danish company. Each generator can produce 690 volts, which is stepped-up to 34,500 volts by an on-board transformer. The generator is housed inside a fiberglass “nacelle.” The generator and nacelle together weigh 69 tons.
• Total height with a blade fully extended is 351 ft and total weight is approximately 270 tons. These are the largest wind turbine generators in Washington State.
• Each tower foundation reaches a minimum depth of 25 ft and a maximum of 32 ft depending on bedrock depth and takes an average of 100 to 260 cubic yards of concrete.
• Each foundation requires 120 anchor bolts that span from the surface of the ground to the bottom of the foundation. A single 28 ft anchor bolt weighs approximately 150 lbs.
• Rotors turn 15.5 rpm, turning clockwise (front view) with a rotor diameter of 264 ft, larger than a wingspan of a Boeing 747.
• Turbines can produce electricity at wind speeds as low as 9 mph, reaching their peak of production at 31 mph and shut down at constant wind speeds of 56 mph. The prevailing winds are from the northwest.
• 127 turbines are capable of producing 1.8 megawatts and 22 turbines are capable of producing 2 megawatts, for a total facility capacity of 273 megawatts.