Project History

In 1998, Enron Wind, acquired the rights to redevelop an early 1980’s wind facility. The at the project site, now known as the Cabazon Wind Power Facility, 53 new state-of-the-art 750 kW Series wind turbines replaced more than 100 smaller, older wind machines that had operated intermittently since 1982. Through the restoration process, the obsolete machines were sold for recycle, the project land was cleaned, and roads were closed to restore wildlife habitat. This transformation, where fewer, larger, and more efficient wind turbines replace scores of older, smaller machines is called “repowering” and has become the latest chapter in wind power’s development.

Power Purchaser

Southern California Edison Company

Project Developer/Operator

Enron Wind developed, constructed, and operates the Green Power I Wind Power Facility.

A pioneer and leader in the wind industry since 1980, Enron Wind is a vertically integrated company. The company has developed and constructed over 4,500 wind turbines, comprising more than 1,600 MW. Enron Wind in North America and Europe, develops and manufactures state-of-the-art wind turbine technology ranging from 600 kW to 1.5 MW.

Project Location

Riverside County, approximately 18 miles northwest of Palm Springs.

Power Purchase Agreement

Signed: Originally issued in the early 1980's.
Term: 30 years
Power Capacity: 40 MW
# Wind turbines: 53
Annual Generation: approximately 132,000 megawatt hours per year

Technology

Manufacturer: Enron Wind
Wind Turbine Type: Zond Z-750 kW Series

Enron Wind's Z-750 kW Series wind turbines utilize a variable speed, constant frequency configuration providing selectable power factor, improving power quality and increasing the aerodynamic efficiency of the turbines while reducing mechanical loads.
At the time of the project, the Z-750 was the largest wind turbine manufactured in the United States. Now in the year 2000, Enron Wind's 1.5 MW wind turbine is also manufactured in the United States.
The project’s 750i kW Series wind turbines hold certification by Germanischer Lloyd to IEC Class II for a 30 year fatigue life. IEC Class II requires a wind turbine to withstand hurricane loads of up to 131.1 mph (59.5 meters per second) as a once in a 50 year occurrence, and 99.8 mph (44.6 meters per second) as a yearly occurrence.

Rated Output: 750 kW

Foundation:
Each turbine foundation consists of four separately drilled caissons - 5 ft. in diameter and 35 ft. deep.
Footprint: 40' x 40'
Concrete: 200 tons per foundation (10,600 tons to complete all 53 foundations, or 631 concrete truckloads - enough to make a 3" x 3' sidewalk 52 miles long.)
Steel Reinforcement: 5 tons per foundation (265 tons to complete all 53 foundations)

Tower: Lattice Configuration
Height: 208 feet (63 meters) - 40 ft. at base tapering to 8 feet at the top – as tall as a 20 story building
Weight: 64 tons (128,000 lbs.)

Blades:
Length: 76 ft. (23 meters)
Rotor Diameter: 157 ft. (48 meters) – approximately the size of the wingspan of a MD-11 jumbo jet.
Revolutions per minute: 18-34 (one revolution every 2-3 seconds)

Swept Area: 19,483 sq. feet per turbine

Construction

Groundbreaking: November 1998
Completion: December 1998

Schedule:
Winter 1997 : Plant engineering and procurement begins.

Summer 1998 : Shipment of wind turbine components and towers begins. Preexisting turbines are taken down. Clean up and restoration activities take place.

Fall 1998: Nacelles and rotors assembled, positioned and placed on line.

December 1998: Commissioning and acceptance. Project operational.

Environmental Benefits:

The installation will provide enough electricity to serve 13,400 average households, or approximately 37,252 people. If oil were burned to generate the same amount of electricity, over 229,000 barrels per year would be required.*

Annual Offsets:

The 53 Enron Wind 750 kW wind turbines can be expected to annually offset 204 million pounds (102,000 tons) of carbon dioxide, the leading greenhouse gas associated with global warming, based on U.S. average fuel mix. Other emissions offsets include: 1.05 million pounds (520 tons) of sulfur dioxide - the major cause of acid rain, pollution of waterways, air-born particulate pollution; and 700,000 pounds (350 tons) of nitrous oxide.

Jobs Created:

Construction Jobs: 20
Ongoing O&M Jobs: 4

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 * Information provided by the American Wind Energy Association
©1999 Enron Wind