Wind project permit heads to commissioners

The Laramie County Planning Commission voted Thursday to recommend that the Board of County Commissioners approve a Class C Conditional Use Permit for the Chalk Bluffs Energy Project. The recommendation advances the proposal to the commissioners, who will hold their first public hearing on the matter on Nov. 17.

The proposed development spans 5,000 acres across the Laramie County and Weld County, Colorado border. Enyo, the developer, plans to install 12 wind turbines in Laramie County. The project website lists total capacity for up to 500 megawatts of wind energy, 500 megawatts of solar energy, and 350 megawatts of natural gas reciprocating engines. A battery storage system and transmission network will accompany the generation assets.

Cindy Delancey, a Cheyenne lawyer representing Enyo, described the plan as the smallest wind project proposed in Laramie County. She stated that local energy demand currently outpaces supply, citing power constraints faced by Cheyenne and Black Hills Energy. Jeremy Call, an environmental planner with consulting firm Logan Simpson, noted that the project would relieve stress on the local grid. He emphasized that energy development is temporary and that the site would be decommissioned at the end of its useful life.

Weld County will host the majority of the infrastructure, including all solar panels and batteries. Laramie County will host the 12 turbines, access roads, lay-down yards, and miles of transmission lines running to Cheyenne. Call stated that the permanent disturbance covers only 0.2% of the 5,000 acres, or roughly 11 acres. He said cattle grazing would continue on the remainder of the land.

Representatives from neighboring properties presented differing views to the commission. Nicholas Merz, a landowner in southeast Laramie County, argued that the project would permanently impact his family’s rural property. He said he purchased the land for its bluffs, views, and open horizon, and described the development as a threat to his retirement and his sons’ inheritance.

Mark Eisele, owner of King Ranch, offered a contrasting perspective. He noted that his property is adjacent to a data center and has leased land to wind energy for 17 years. Eisele, who stated he had no financial stake in the permit, said wind farms are the least intrusive industrial development. He reported little negative impact on his cattle or bird populations during those 17 years.

The Planning Commission attached a mandatory condition to its recommendation. All state and local agency review comments, including Wyoming Game & Fish monitoring plans and Public Works road agreements, must be fully resolved before final site plan approval. Call noted that Game & Fish commended the project for its minimal wildlife impact. The commissioners will hold a second public hearing before making a determination on the permit on Dec. 1. Enyo is seeking site plan approval on Dec. 15.