Cluster Of Wind Turbines Sitting Idle Outside Casper Won’t Turn Anytime Soon

CASPER — A cluster of wind turbines outside Casper that have stood idle for much of the past few years will not be operational by the end of the year as initially indicated by the owner.

In a letter dated Wednesday to the Natrona County Board of Commissioners from the Chevron general manager of pipeline and power, the energy company informed the county its plans to restart the 11 turbines are on hold.

“Chevron has been diligently pursuing Casper Wind Farm’s registration as a resource under the Western Energy Market,” Gregory Germani states in the letter. “On June 26, 2024, Chevron submitted its application to PacificCorp. On Oct. 31, 2024, PacifiCorp responded that Casper could not be registered due to a telemetry issue.”

Germani wrote that Chevron continues to work with PacifiCorp, the parent company to Rocky Mountain Power, to resolve the issue so that Casper can complete its registration. PacificCorp controls transmission lines for any electricity produced at the site.

The company had indicated in a Sept. 5 letter that it expected to resume operations by the end of the year.

‘Telemetry Issues’

Natrona County Commission Chairman Peter Nicolaysen said the “telemetry issue” sounds kind of vague.

Telemetry is defined as a system that collects and analyzes data from remote sources to improve performance.

“It could mean anything. That their equipment is obsolete. It could mean their mice got in and ate the wires, it could mean literally anything,” Nicolaysen said. “Typically, it would be electrically related. Telemetry is not helpful at all and could be a billion different things.”

PacificCorp spokesman David Eskelsen said “telemetry issues” also are vague to his company.

“In conferring with our renewable resource development and operations folks, it’s not clear what the project team is referring to in citing ‘telemetry issues,’” he said. “We suggest you go back to the project developers/operators for clarification.”

Cowboy State Daily emailed Chevron spokesperson Christine Dobbyn on Wednesday about defining more specifically the “telemetry issues” in the company’s statement.

Friday afternoon, she responded that “telemetry issues” means “the wind farm operations require additional data.”

The 240-foot-high turbines were first installed on property that belonged to the old Texaco refinery northeast of Casper and just outside Evansville in 2009. 

Former county commissioner Terry Wingerter, who initially voted to approve the project, told Cowboy State Daily that he wished he would not have authorized it because now the objects sit inactive and the turbines are eyesores. He believed they have not operated in the past few years.

Spinning In 2023

Dobbyn this week informed Cowboy State Daily that the wind turbines were last operated in December 2023.

Nicolaysen said that information is a surprise to him. 

“I was not aware of it being operational a year ago,” he said.

Evansville Mayor Candace Machado said while the city has no position on the wind turbines that sit outside its northern boundary, people do notice they are not working.

“A couple of residents have asked questions regarding if they will be turned back on or what the plan is moving forward,” she said.

The website gridinfo.com states that the site produced 2.1 gigawatt hours of power during the three-month period of September 2023 to December 2023. The Casper site is listed 27th of 27 wind energy sites in the state for total annual net electricity production.

Dobbyn said Chevron’s desire is to reach an agreement with PacificCorp that would allow for “optimization of excess transmission when available.”

Nicolaysen said he believes it is worth being patient to see if Chevron can get the wind turbines turning again. But the latest delay has to end at some point.

“Every time they do this it will be a little more problematic, at least for me as a commissioner,” he said. “It’s kind of like you want to give them the benefit of the doubt and work through their telemetry issues whatever they may be.”

In the letter to the commission, Germani wrote the company would provide an update to the commission in March, or “as soon as we resolve the issue with PacificCorp.”

By then, Nicolaysen said hopefully Chevron “will send us a letter that they are resuming operations.”

Dale Killingbeck can be reached at dale@cowboystatedaily.com.