What happens at the end of a wind farm’s useful life?
The Roundhouse Wind Project complies with the decommissioning and reclamation bonding requirements established in the Wyoming Industrial Development Information and Siting Act.
A wind farm is designed to operate for at least 25 years, during which time it will be carefully managed and maintained. Over time, we can also replace aging wind turbines with newer, more efficient technology to extend their useful lives for many more years.
When turbines are eventually decommissioned, we remove the wind turbines and return the landscape to its original condition.
To ensure taxpayers do not pay for removing any part of a wind farm, as part of a decommissioning, our company makes financial commitments to pay the full costs of removal.
In a typical decomissioning, every component of the turbine within four feet of the surface is removed from the site. We approach the landowners prior to the decommissioning to determine, at their discretion, if they want any of the infrastructure (particularly the roads) left behind for the benefit of their operations.
This ensures farming, ranching and other future land uses can continue, unimpeded by any remnants of the wind farm.