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Wind in BPA Grid Tops 3,000 MW by Bonneville Power Administration North American Windpower, September 14, 2010

The Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) now has more than 3,000 MW of wind power in its transmission grid. At full capacity, that is equal to three large nuclear plants, according to the BPA.

The latest additions came at Portland General Electric's Biglow Canyon project near Wasco, Ore.

"There may be a recession, but not in Northwest wind power," says Steve Enyeart, BPA transmission customer service engineer. "It looks like we're going to connect 798 MW of wind power to the BPA grid this year. Last year, we did 788 MW, so the trend is steady. Next year, we have more than 1,000 MW scheduled to come on line."

BPA interconnects wind power plants in the Columbia River Basin with its transmission system as part of its role as an open-access transmission provider. The agency provides backup reserves for wind output as a transmission service. The wind projects are owned by utilities and independent power producers.