By Aaron LeClair/Laramie Boomerang

The final hurdle to clear before construction of the wind farm can begin is a building permit. Mark Tallman, PacifiCorp’s vice president for renewable resource acquisition, told The Associated Press on Wednesday the company would apply for that permit at a later date.

The Dunlap Ranch Wind Energy Project plan outlines the first-phase construction of 74 General Electric wind turbines and a substation, in addition to the installation of an 11-mile-long transmission line.

Each 1.5-megawatt wind turbine will stand 260 feet high and will have 120-foot-long blades for a “full sweep” height of 380 feet. With 74 turbines, the Dunlap Ranch Wind Energy Project’s first phase will be able to generate an estimated 111 megawatts of electricity, which is capable of powering 32,000 homes.

Construction is scheduled to begin in April 2010. PacifiCorp officials have said up to 300 workers will be employed during the peak construction period, the plan says.

The majority of the workers will be temporarily housed in Rawlins and Laramie, PacifiCorp/Rocky Mountain Power spokesperson Jeff Hymas said.

The wind farm is expected to be operational by November 2010. Eight to 10 permanent full-time employees will be hired to maintain the wind towers, Hymas said.

A tentatively scheduled second phase of the Dunlap Ranch Wind Energy Project would consist of the construction of 126 wind turbines for a total of 200 towers that would be capable of generating 300 megawatts of electricity.

The second phase would take place from September 2010 to November 2011. PacifiCorp would hire about 350 workers during the peak construction period.

If the second phase happens, PacifiCorp would hire an additional three to six permanent full-time employees to run and maintain the wind farm.

Chairman Tim Sullivan said the Albany County Commission supports the Dunlap Ranch Wind Energy Project. Sullivan said the project would benefit Rock River and Laramie in terms of shopping and places to stay during construction.

“It will be a good, positive impact for us,” he said. “It’s going to be a big boost to (Rock River’s) economy.” The project does have downsides, Sullivan admitted, which include heavier traffic on Albany County roads and an increased workload for law enforcement and emergency responders.

“We’re going to get a lot more traffic,” he said.

Nevertheless, Sullivan said the Dunlap Ranch Wind Energy Project will be a good thing for Albany County and Laramie.“It’s wonderful,” he said. “In fact, I think Laramie will be the hub of most of the activity.”

A copy of PacifiCorp’s application for the Dunlap Ranch Wind Energy Project can be downloaded in PDF format at http://deq.state. wy.us/isd/isdnews.htm.