Our Projects
Great Basin Wind has multiple wind projects in various stages of development.
Wind projects typically take several years to develop. The first stage of a project includes gathering wind data. This involves acquiring land, either through a lease with a private land owner or a federal land manager like the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Wind data is collected for 12 to 36 months and then analyzed to identify the site’s wind characteristics.
If the site has a good wind resource, the second stage of the project can begin. If the project is on public land then environmental impact and other studies are conducted. This process takes about 1-2 years — or more in some instances. At some point during this stage a power purchase agreement with a utility is sought and an interconnection agreement (to the power grid) agreement is obtained.
After a power purchase agreement has been signed, and the transmission and grid interconnection studies are completed, the project can move into the construction financing stage. Once construction financing has been secured and necessary permits have been obtained, the project can be constructed. A typical utility-scale wind project can be constructed in a matter of months. After construction, a wind project will generate clean, green electricity for 20 to 30 years before it is likely re-powered with new equipment for a new lease on life. Unlike nuclear and hydrocarbon based power generation, wind energy has no resource depletion associated with it. Wind Turbines gather energy from the inexhaustible wind flowing through the atmosphere. Thus, while the equipment may need to be replaced in time, the resource is never depleted.
