The Desert Claim Wind Power Project has been revised to a 100 megawatt (MW) total maximum capacity wind power project located on approximately 4,400 acres in Kittitas County, eight miles northwest of Ellensburg, Washington. The Project will consist of a maximum of 31 turbines and associated electrical collection system that would connect the Project to the regional high-voltage transmission grid. The Project area includes purchased land and land leased from private and public land owners.

The revised Desert Claim Wind Power Project will have a maximum of thirty-one 3-bladed wind turbines on tubular steel towers, not to exceed a maximum height (hub height plus blade tip height) of 150 meters (492 feet), with a capacity ranging from 2.0 to 4.2 megawatts (MW). The total capacity for the reconfigured Project will not exceed 100 MW. Wind turbines will be equipped with turbine control, safety and braking systems, and will be interconnected to a central Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system. Turbine setbacks shall meet the following setback requirements: 1) setback from occupied residences 2,500 feet, 2) setback from external Project Area boundaries = 1.25 x tip height, 3) setback from road and transmission line rights of way = 1.25 x tip height, and 4) setback from barns and buildings = tip height.

The original Application for Site Certification was submitted on November 6, 2006 and a revised application was submitted on February 6, 2009. The Site Certification Agreement was approved by Governor Gregoire on February 2, 2010.

An Application to amend the Site Certification Agreement was submitted on February 26, 2018. EFSEC issued Resolution No. 343 Amendment No. 1 approving an amended Site Certification Agreement on November 13, 2018.

SCA Amendment Special Meeting 

The meeting for the Amended SCA was held on July 13, 2023 at 5pm. 

Video recording of the July 13, 2023 Desert Claim SCA Amendment Info Meeting