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AES representatives brief San Juan County commissioners on Latigo Wind Park operations, local revenue
Summary
AES site staff described Latigo Wind Park’s operations, generation capacity, community arrangements and safety procedures; commissioners asked about power customers, seasonal production and tax/lease revenue.
Tyler Erickson, site manager at Latigo Wind Park, told the San Juan County Commission on June 17 that the AES-owned project has 27 turbines with 60 megawatts of total capacity and a 20-year power purchase agreement that began in March 2016.
Erickson said each turbine is rated about 2.3 megawatts and that the project sends its electricity to Rocky Mountain Power via a nearby substation. He told commissioners the site still supports grazing on the underlying land and that AES reports roughly $1.3 million in annual tax revenue and lease payments to San Juan County.
The presentation gave commissioners a technical and safety briefing. Erickson described tower height (about 80 meters, roughly 263 feet), foundations that average about 20 feet deep with roughly 500–700 cubic yards of concrete per foundation, and the site control house where voltage is stepped from roughly 34,500 volts to 138,000 volts for transmission. He said safety is AES’s top priority and that the company maintains emergency contacts, conducts drills and evacuates the field for hazards such as lightning.
Commissioners pressed for operational details. Commissioner Hart asked who ultimately uses the power; Erickson replied the project’s power is sold to Rocky Mountain Power and “goes to wherever demand is,” noting power is fungible on the grid and cannot be traced atom‑for‑atom to specific end users. Commissioners also asked about seasonal generation; Erickson said the highest wind season at Latigo is generally in winter with lower summer output.
Erickson said the original 20‑year PPA runs to 2036 and that AES plans either to repower turbines or continue site operations after that term. He also described site employment and contractor activity and invited residents to consider employment opportunities with the project.
The briefing was informational; no formal county action was taken on the presentation.
