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Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
Third turbine build attempted near Davenport
A recently constructed "met tower" to measure wind levels stands in wheat fields off Chase Road north of Davenport.
DAVENPORT - Two wind turbine project builds being attempted in Lincoln County by Omaha-based Tenaska and Toronto-based Cordelio Power aren't the only projects in the works here. Triple Oak Power, a Portland, Oregon-based green energy supplier, is in the process of leasing land for a turbine project of its own north to northeast of Davenport.
While CEO Jesse Gronner was wary to offer many details on the project, titled "Great Bend Wind," before such details are finalized, he said over 15,000 acres have already been leased with private landowners. Aside from a metropolitan tower being constructed on Dept. of Natural Resources land, the company hopes the build will be solely on private land.
"We've been looking at Lincoln County for over two years," Gronner said. "It was a convergence of available land...and a good wind resource and nearby transmission lines."
The company was founded in 2020 by Gronner, who said he has over 20 years of renewable energy experience, and CFO Labeja. Gronner said he was part of the company that helped with wind turbine projects in Klickitat County and Oregon's Sherman and Gilliam Counties, which are just across the Columbia River in north central Oregon.
The 15,000-plus acreage secured brings the project close to the roughly 20,000 acres necessary for "Phase I," as Gronner put it. He said it's too soon to tell whether other "phases" will follow.
Gronner said the general boundary is north of Davenport and due east due to current transmission lines.
The project would be roughly 200 to 300 megawatts, which equates to 50 to 75 turbines, Gronner said. It's too soon to tell who the power will be generated for, he said.
"We don't want to run before we walk," Gronner said.
He offered similar responses to questions about environmental studies, fire concerns and noise.
"Again, it's too soon to tell," Gronner said. "As we tackle this project, we'll factor in health and safety constraints...and take appropriate safety measures."
Construction is still several years away, he said.
Gronner said he wanted to keep lease agreement specifics private, but said the company plans to inform all stakeholders of where construction will occur before it begins. Decommissioning responsibilities would fall to Triple Oak Power, he said.
Like Tenaska, Gronner said any county road damage would be compensated by his company.
"Oftentimes, those roads end up in better shape than they were before because of the (post-construction) improvements," he said.
Lincoln County planner Courtney Thompson confirmed Triple Oak Power received conditional use permits for three metropolitan towers, which are in various stages of construction, that would assist the company with wind measurement.
County Commissioner Rob Coffman said the county is required to approve conditional use permits if they follow legal guidelines.
According to coordinates provided by Thompson, two permits for towers are on private land. One is southeast of Davenport, about halfway between the city and Reardan near Denny Station and Jannott Roads. The other is north of Davenport just off Chase Road.
The third tower permit was secured on Dept. of Natural Resources land off Level Road, which is northeast of Davenport.
Those rough boundaries appear to coincide with the Tenaska/Cordelio "Hawk Creek" rough boundary line, which has been drawn between Davenport and Reardan. Gronner declined to comment on questions about competing companies, while Tenaska reps didn't respond to questions about the Triple Oak Power project.
Tenaska plans to build a roughly 600-megawatt farm in the "Hawk Creek" boundary and a 350-megawatt farm, titled "Lincoln County SW," west of Harrington and south to the Adams County line.
Triple Oak Power hasn't planned any public meetings regarding the "Great Bend Wind" project, but Gronner said those will be announced soon. Additionally, private meetings are expected with landowners.
A Triple Oak Power flyer shared with The Record-Times by a Mondovi-area landowner states project development, including development payments, wind studies, environmental/engineering studies, interconnection studies, permitting and procuring energy contracts, would take four to seven years. Construction would take one year or less and project operations would be 30-plus years.
Drew Lawson is the editor of the Davenport Times. He is a graduate of Eastern Washington University.
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