22 MW Sawtooth Wind Farm, Idaho
Located on a sugar beet farm in Elmore County, about 60 miles east of Boise, Idaho, the 22 MW Sawtooth wind farm produces enough energy to supply approximately 6,000 homes with electricity. The project consists of 14 GE 1.6 MW wind turbines, delivering energy to the Idaho Power Company, under a 20-year power purchase agreement. PowerWorks performs the operations and maintenance (O&M) and asset management, with an average operating availability over 98%. Over 20 years, power produced by the project will avoid/displace harmful emissions from fossil-fired projects, including an estimated 3.5 tons of SO2, 256 tons of NOx, 32 tons of PM2.5, and 0.9 million tons of CO2. In turn, the avoidance of these pollutant emissions reduces adverse effects to humans, wildlife, and ecosystems. For example, 2,900 avian deaths are avoided/saved. Further, the local economic benefits (direct and indirect) from this wind farm over 20 years is estimated to be over $40 million, including property taxes, payroll from high-skilled jobs, land owner/farmer land leases, sales taxes, property taxes, various services purchased from local retailers, etc.