ADAMS COUNTY — Clearway Energy’s 160-megawatt, 57-turbine Rattlesnake Flat wind farm is now officially online and providing power to the residents of the Columbia Basin.

In an online ceremony Dec. 15, Gov. Jay Inslee, along with Clearway CEO Craig Cornelius, Avista Energy CEO Dennis Vermillion, Adams County Commissioner John Marshall, and Washington State Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz, cut a virtual ribbon and inaugurated the project. Avista Utilities and Clearway Energy Group began construction in April of Rattlesnake Flat, which is located on 20,000 acres of land near Lind.

A majority of the site is privately-owned, while nearly 640 acres is on state trust lands managed by the Washington State Department of Natural Resources.

“When we passed clean energy legislation in 2019, we had projects like Rattlesnake Flat in mind,” Inslee said. “They have demonstrated that we can build our economy with clean energy jobs while reducing costs for customers.”

“It is clear that climate change poses an existential threat to all of us, and projects like this one show we can rise to the challenge,” the governor continued. “Thank you to Clearway, Avista, and everyone involved in bringing the Rattlesnake Flat wind farm online.”

The wind farm, the second major alternative energy project built in Adams County in the last few years, will generate enough electricity to power 38,000 homes — more than the total number of people who live in Adams County. The turbines connect to Avista’s transmission grid as part of a 20-year purchase power agreement between the Spokane-based utility company and San Francisco-based Clearway Energy Corp.

“Adams County is thrilled that this wind farm is completed and delivering clean renewable power to area residents,” Marshall said. “After years of research, planning, and cooperation, Clearway and its partners have delivered a job-creating project that’s helping to diversify our local economy and bolster the resilience of our communities.”

Clearway will operate the wind farm as part of a 20-year contract with Spokane-based Avista, which is also looking at soliciting bids for yet another alternative energy generating facility, possibly in Adams County.

Vermillion said during the virtual ceremony Dec. 15 Rattlesnake Flat aligns with the utility company’s goal of providing clean, reliable energy to customers at a reasonable cost.

“We knew the timing was right for this project for Avista because it captured lower turbine prices and all the federal and state tax benefits, which of course is a big benefit to our customers,” Vermillon said. “Market changes, including reductions in the cost of wind power facilities and the tax incentives, really have combined to make this an excellent time to acquire long-term output from cost-effective wind resources.”

He also said “keeping energy affordable for our customers is paramount, especially with so many struggling right now during the challenging time that we are in.”

The Rattlesnake Flat project is one of the first renewable energy projects to be built following passage of Washington’s Clean Energy Transformation Act in 2019. The law commits the state to 100% carbon-free electricity by 2045.

Minnesota-based Blattner Energy, Inc. was the project contractor. Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy manufactured the wind turbines for Rattlesnake Flat, which is Clearway Energy Corp.’s first wind project in Washington. In 2018, North Carolina-based Strata Solar completed a 28-megawatt solar power farm, the state’s largest, near Lind.

“This project’s construction means that we’ll be delivering clean, low-cost power for hundreds of thousands of households for the next 30 years,” Cornelius said. “And ... it has meant economic opportunity and access to family-wage jobs and a growing sector of the economy.”

During construction, Rattlesnake Flat created 250 jobs, with 10 full-time employees who will operate and maintain the wind farm.

The project brought a $12-million investment into the local economy and will generate $350,000 annually, officials said.

The project also will contribute $1.5 million in property tax revenue in its first year of operation and an annual average of about $700,000 for the next 30 years, according to a company release.

Amy Edelen, of The Spokesman-Review/TNS, contributed to this report.