Bear River Ridge Wind Project

Shell WindEnergy is continuing to assess the Bear River Ridge Wind Project with a current focus on transportation logistics and visual impact. We will be hosting an Open House event in April or May of 2012, where we plan to share additional information, including the findings of our studies, currently under way.

The following bullet points provide an update on what we are currently assessing in the noted category.

Transportation logistics – We are currently:

• evaluating whether air lifting the turbine blades is economically and logistically feasible
• assessing ways to reduce turbine tower length for shorter trailers
• assessing ways to schedule turbine delivery to reduce traffic impact
• assessing routes for construction materials and workforce

Visual impact:

• We are working to produce 10-12 new visual simulation pictures.
• These new pictures will have a higher resolution than the current photos.
• They will provide viewpoints from new locations in Loleta and Ferndale.

EIR, EIS and HCP

The EIR, EIS and HCP are expected to be finalized around the end of 2012 or early 2013. We value the input and perspective of all stakeholders throughout the process and are working with the appropriate city, county and regulatory groups as we continue to assess the opportunity.

The Project is located in Humboldt County in northern California on private property situated along the Bear River Ridge.

Five met masts were installed in 2006 and had recorded wind speeds ranging from 7-9 meters per second. The capacity factor is predicted to between 30-38% depending on final wind turbine selection, which has not been made.

It is projected that the commercial operation date would be at the end 2014 timeframe, depending on permit(s) approval time and the completion of network upgrades. The project would be connected to Pacific Gas & Electric’s utility grid at the Rio Dell substation, located 10 miles east of the proposed wind farm.

To construct and operate the project, SWE will need to comply with a number of federal, state, and local environmental regulatory requirements and conduct an environmental analysis under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). CEQA review is triggered by the requirement that the applicant secure a Use Permit prior to the development of the project. The USFWS is the Lead Agency for NEPA compliance and it has been determined that an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is the appropriate NEPA compliance document. The County of Humboldt will serve as the lead agency under CEQA.

CEQA and NEPA analyses will be combined in one joint environmental document (EIR/EIS). The Federal Aviation Administration, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the California Coastal Commission and the California Public Utility Commission are also involved in the permitting process.

The Project will include an onsite interconnecting road system, underground collector lines and collector substation. It will also include an offsite operation and maintenance building, onsite and offsite overhead electrical transmission lines and upgrades to facilities owned by Pacific Gas & Electric Company.

Project Components

The Project’s wind turbines will be determined by SWE and selected using various siting criteria such as optimal wind speed, geotechnical conditions, and consideration of sensitive resources.

The manufacturer, model, size, and total number of the wind turbine generators have not yet been selected for the Project. In addition to the turbines, the Project includes the following improvements:

• Approximately 5 miles of newly constructed onsite access roads, turbine string roads and turn around areas.  Various improvements to offsite public roads are required to enable the delivery of wind turbine components and to provide access for construction equipment.   
• Two permanent meteorological towers (onsite).
• A site control and data acquisition system (onsite).
• An onsite 34.5-kilovolt (kV) power collection system will deliver power to the onsite substation. The collector cables will be placed in trenches and buried underground between turbine locations. The underground collection system will terminate at the onsite facility substation. 
• An onsite Project substation where power from the 34.5-kV collection system will be stepped up to the voltage required for the interconnection to the regional transmission system. 
• An overhead transmission line. Power from the Project substation will be transmitted via an overhead transmission line, to the Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) regional transmission system. The Project will be interconnected to the PG&E regional transmission system at the Rio Dell 60-kV substation located approximately 12 miles east of the Project. It is anticipated that the Rio Dell bus will be upgraded from 60 kV to 115 kV prior to the installation of the interconnection from the Project. 
• An O&M facility will be located offsite and will include a main building with offices, spare parts storage, restrooms, a shop area, outdoor parking facilities, a turn-around area for larger vehicles, outdoor lighting, and a gated access with partial or full-perimeter fencing.

What are SWE’s next steps with the Bear River Ridge Wind Project?

We are continuing to look at the concerns of the community, and find the routes that minimize the impact. As we investigate many of the questions and concerns raised at the Ferndale and Rio Dell City Council meetings over the last few months, we look forward to providing more information to the community at the Open House, currently planned for this spring.

Will you be airlifting components up to the ridge, instead of driving them through Ferndale?

We are still working with contractors to assess this possibility and are evaluating whether it is economically and logistically feasible. 

Many of the residents of Ferndale are concerned with the shaking of the houses as the trucks come through. How will the team go about addressing those concerns?

We are still working to address this concern. The trucks and trailers intended for this project will be operating under state and local weight restriction and speed limits. We will continue to identify what can be done to further minimize this potential impact.

If there is property damage due to the shaking as the trucks go by, will Shell be responsible or cover those damages?

We would need to assess the individual damages to determine if they are in fact caused by our trucks, but again the trucks and trailers intended for this project will be operating under state and local weight restriction and speed limits.

Will I be able to hear the wind turbines?

In general, an operating modern wind farm at a distance of 750 to 1000 feet is no noisier than a kitchen refrigerator or a moderately quiet room. The sound turbines produce is similar to a light whooshing or swishing sound, and much quieter than other types of modern-day equipment. Even in rural or low-density areas, where there is little additional sound to mask that of the wind turbines, the sound of the blowing wind is often louder.

How bright will the light at the top of the turbines be?

In general, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) recommends lighting for most structures more than 200 feet in height to ensure aviation safety. For the Bear River Ridge Wind Project, we are currently working with the FAA to identify how many lights will be required and their location. We understand that the FAA will select which turbines will be lighted. Not all the turbines will need to be lighted.

Has Shell ever developed wind farms in a community that is mostly supported by tourism?

Yes. We do have two wind farms in the Palm Springs area. We know this is a major concern of the community and I understand how there are perceived negative impacts. The team is looking at, how we can minimize impacts to tourism during the construction phase; whether that’s time of day or day of the week trucks and construction would come through, etc. These are things that are being studied in our transportation logistics assessment.

According to AWEA - There is no evidence to indicate that wind turbines drive tourists away. In some areas, wind turbines even draw tourists. Local governments frequently work with developers to install information stands and signs near wind farms, as well as pull-off areas, similar to “scenic overlooks”, from nearby roads.

Surveys of tourists have found that the presence of wind turbines would not affect the decision of most visitors to return. The thousands of turbines in Palm Springs, Calif. do not appear to have a negative impact on the tourism business; on the contrary, the local tourism center organizes bus tours to the wind farms.

The community is very concerned about the expansion of the wind farm. They believe that once there is a foothold in the area, more and more turbines will be constructed. What is the likelihood that this 50 MW project will be expanded?

In order to expand the permitting process starts over again and the public and all permitting agencies will be reviewing the impact of the expansion.

How engaged in the community has SWE been?

SWE laid out our plans in the public scoping meeting in 2010. Since then, we have routinely engaged community leaders. We enlisted a third party organization, BSR, to conduct anonymous interviews to get the community sentiment. We also addressed the community in City Council meetings this past September and in January of 2012. These activities are above and beyond the county requirement.  However, we conduct such activities to be a good neighbor in the communities where we operate.

SWE plans to engage with the community further, through public meetings and an open house during the first half of 2012. If the project continues to move forward, SWE will increase its presence in the community as appropriate.

SWE has said it will "invest" in the community, why has nothing been done and when can we expect to see these contributions?

SWE has engaged city and county officials to identify and discuss potential social investment opportunities. Shell looks for social investment opportunities that are of high impact to the community and will invest in the right opportunity at the right time.

• SWE sponsored the Lost Coast Bike Race in 2006 and 2007, when the project was first proposed.
• SWE has also donated a MET tower to the College of the Redwoods for their research and educational uses. 
• Additional examples of social investment in other communities where projects are being developed include workforce development, environmental stewardship, education, and support of emergency services.

Will the construction of this wind project devalue home/property values?  If so, what will Shell do about this to help the community?

According to AWEA, there is no evidence that the presence of a commercial wind farm within sight of a property systematically decreases that property’s value. In fact, a nationwide study conducted in 2003 surveyed property near multiple wind farms and found that not only do wind farms not harm property values, in some cases the values increased. If the Bear River Ridge Wind Project is developed, then it will be developed on private land with landowners who have agreed to allow development to take place on their property.

How many jobs will go to local workers? Will SWE look for workers outside the community?

Right now, we anticipate that the project may demand around 120+ workers for construction if it moves forward. The project provides our construction contractors an opportunity to consider the local workforce. We anticipate that the local community will be able to benefit from the potential job opportunities. This has been the case with other projects we have developed, such as our Mount Storm, Cabazon, and White Water Hill projects.

How are mitigation plans progressing?

SWE is in the process of finalizing the HCP and EIS with the USFWS (with input from CDFG). We expect that there will be minimal impact to the current ranching and timber activities around the project site.

Why is SWE developing here? Why Bear River Ridge?

There is a terrific wind power source on Bear River Ridge. It is an incredibly attractive location due to transmission line locations, state RPS goals.

What is happening with transmission lines?

We are currently working with PG&E, Rio Dell County, and US Fish and Wildlife on the transmission line options. Updates will be shared at the open house.