Located 10 miles south of Rawlins in Carbon County the project will employ up to 1,000 wind turbines spread across the two sites.
The project will be developed in multiple phases with the Power Company of Wyoming expected to take over operations on completion of construction.
Commenting on the approval US Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar highlighted Wyoming’s wind resources and said that the would be project a landmark for the nation.
The project also accomplishes US President Barack Obama’s objective of authorizing 10,000MW of renewable energy generation on public lands in 2012.
The Bureau of Land Administration will now conduct an environmental analysis for the Sierra Madre Wind Farm, the Chokecherry Wind Farm, the internal haul road, the internal 230 kilovolt transmission line, the rail distribution facility, and substations to connect the generated power to the electric grid.
BLM acting director Mike Pool explained, "That includes an extensive environmental review and making sure that we’re mitigating the potential impacts of energy development on our wildlife and our lands."
