Forged Ethic Wind Energy Project

Project Introduction

Forged Ethic Wind Energy Project (Project) is a 323-megawatt (MW) wind project currently under development in Coconino County, Arizona. The Project is located on approximately 29,106 acres of private land and Arizona State Trust Land, in an area that is commonly known as the Babbitt Ranches approximately 25 miles north of Flagstaff, Arizona. Babbitt Ranches is a family business and pioneering land company that raises livestock, manages natural resources, promotes science and participates in the broader community.

Character, nature and community have been bred into Babbitt Ranches since 1886 and RWE is proud to name the Forged Ethic Wind Energy Project after the Babbitt Ranches family motto.

The Project includes the construction and operation of a 323-MW wind energy facility consisting of approximately 102 turbines, meteorological evaluation towers, underground electrical collection lines, project substation, laydown yard, operations and maintenance building, and access roads. 

Site Location

A map highlighting Flagstaff, Arizona, with a wind turbine icon, illustrating renewable energy focus.

Click on the image to zoom

Site Location

Map of the Forged Ethic Wind Energy Project in Coconino County, Arizona, showing land ownership and access routes.

Click on the image to zoom

The Project also includes a proposed approximately 5-mile, 500-kilovolt (kV) generation-tie transmission line and interconnection with the existing Moenkopi to Cedar Mountain 500 kV transmission line operated by Arizona Public Service. The Project will be accessed during construction and operations from U.S. Highway 89 via both existing and proposed new access roads.

The Project is expected to enter commercial operations in 2024. Once constructed, the Project will have an operational lifespan of approximately 35 years.

RWE will design the Project consistent with the Coconino County Renewable Energy Ordinance. To help minimize Project impacts and support permitting requirements, RWE has commissioned multiple surveys and investigations for visual simulations, cultural resources, and natural resources and wildlife studies. Additionally, RWE is conducting ongoing agency consultation and tribal outreach to identify resource constraints and incorporate feedback into the Project.

Status: in development

Facts & Figures

00 megawatt (MW)

wind farm

Up to 00

homes powered¹

More than 00 million gallons

of water saved per year²

1 Homes powered is calculated using EPA’s Green Power Equivalency Calculator.
2 Assumes 0.58 gallons of water consumed per kWh of conventional electricity from Lee, Han, & Elgowainy, 2016.

Project Benefits

A group of volunteers in grey shirts gather around donation boxes, sorting items and discussing contributions.

Forged Ethic Wind Energy Project will provide millions of dollars in additional tax revenue to Coconino County and local taxing districts. This new source of public funding can reduce the tax burden on local residents and be used to support essential services including schools, roads, fire departments and first responders.

A brown cow standing in a grassy field with sparse sagebrush in the background.

Ranchers who choose to harvest wind power are following a long tradition of using their land responsibly for agricultural and ranching purposes. Forged Ethic Wind Energy Project will be located on a mix of private property and Arizona State Land, which will continue to be used for grazing and ranching over the 35-year life of the project. Landowners who choose to host wind turbines can continue to work their land while gaining the opportunity to reinvest their agricultural operations, save for retirement, and use their increased purchasing power to support local businesses throughout the community.

A woman and child stand together, raising their arms in joy, with wind turbines and a sunset in the background.

Hundreds of jobs will be created during construction, offering opportunities for residents to enter the rapidly expanding clean energy workforce. Local businesses will see an economic boom as demand for lodging, restaurants, supplies, vehicle maintenance, and fuel increases throughout the 9-12 months of construction. During operations, 8-10 permanent positions will be created to operate Forged Ethic Wind Energy Project, and the project will continue to source supplies from local businesses.

Stronger Electric Grid

A close-up of a wind turbine with other turbines visible in the background against an open landscape.
Stronger Electric Grid

Wind energy has become one of the most affordable and reliable sources of electricity available today. Wind farms increase the resiliency of Arizona’s electric grid while protecting consumers from the volatility and rising costs of traditional energy sources.

Protecting the Environment and Community

Forged Ethic Wind Energy Project will be designed to complement existing ranching land uses, protect the soil, and avoid impacts to wildlife.

Wind farms produce electricity without generating any pollution, resulting in cleaner air and water when compared to traditional power plants. The average wind farm leaves 98% of the land undisturbed, leaving it free for other uses like farming and ranching.

A transparent globe resting on grass, surrounded by vibrant green leaves and ferns, with sunlight filtering through foliage.

Comprehensive studies are required as part of the planning and permitting process to protect public safety and the environment. Wind energy is a major climate change solution, which is the largest threat to many species and their habitats. Wind power is far less harmful to wildlife than traditional energy sources it displaces, including to birds and their critical habitats.

At the end of Forged Ethic Wind Energy Projects useful life, equipment will be removed and the land can be returned to its original uses.

Approval Process

  • The Coconino County zoning ordinance was updated in June 2022 to include Section 3.19 Utility Scale Renewable Energy Systems to establish a process, rules, and standards for the construction, siting and operation of Utility-Scale Renewable Energy Systems (Coconino County 2022). The Project will comply with the requirements of this zoning ordinance and describe all requested information in the project’s Conditional Use Permit (CUP) application.

    The Coconino County Renewable Energy Ordinance requires a visual resource overview and simulations. The preliminary visual assessment for the Project identified existing visual resources within 10 miles of the proposed project. Scenic simulations illustrate the proposed facility including wind turbines, structures, substations, overhead transmission lines, and equipment facilities. The photos’ locations, determined in coordination with the Coconino County planning staff, are identified and labeled on a map demonstrating the visual line of sight from the resource to the facility.

    Facility lighting, such as safety lighting at the operations and maintenance building and substation control building, will be designed in compliance with Coconino County Zoning Ordinance lighting performance standards.

    Public comments may be submitted at any time via email, online using the form below, or via U.S. mail to:

    Lucero Weber, Community Engagement Organizer
     RWE Americas, LLC
    101 West Broadway, Floor 11
    San Diego, CA 92101

    Send email

    RWE will submit an application for a Conditional Use Permit from Coconino County.

    CUP Application Materials (to be posted here when available)

    • CUP Application and Exhibits 
    • County Planning and Zoning Commission and Board of Supervisors Hearing Dates

    The Coconino Planning and Zoning Commission typically meets in the First Floor Meeting Room at the Coconino County Administration Building, 219 East Cherry Avenue in Flagstaff, Arizona. However, these meetings are currently occurring in a virtual format as related to the Covid-19 pandemic. The Coconino County Community Development Department can be contacted at 928-679-8850 if you have questions about their public hearing process.

  • In Arizona, proposed transmission lines of 115-kV or greater with a “series of structures” are subject to Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) jurisdiction and are required to apply for and receive a Certificate of Environmental Compatibility (CEC) prior to construction. The Arizona Power Plant and Transmission Line Siting Committee (Line Siting Committee) considers, during public hearings, the matters contained in CEC applications relative to a series of factors specified in Section 40-360.06, Arizona Revised Statutes. During the public hearings, the Committee deliberates and makes a recommendation to the ACC regarding whether to approve, approve with conditions, or reject the CEC. Subsequently, the ACC Commissioners vote on the CEC matter during an open meeting and may accept, reject, or modify the Committee’s recommendations.

    The Forged Ethic Wind Energy Project will contribute to the delivery of renewable energy into the transmission grid in the southwestern United States. The Project interconnection point is with the Moenkopi to Cedar Mountain 500-kV transmission line via a planned Arizona Public Service (APS) 500-kV switchyard. This transmission line runs northeast-southwest through the Forged Ethic Wind Energy Project area. The electricity generated by the Project would be routed to a Project substation via 34.5kV underground collection lines, where the voltage will be stepped-up to 500-kV. The substation will include two (2) main power transformers of 108/144/180MVA, one (1) 500-kV circuit breaker, and six (6) 34.5kV MV circuit breakers to increase the voltage to the 500-kV transmission line voltage. An approximately 5-mile-long, 500-kV generation-tie transmission line (gen-tie) will be constructed from the Forged Ethic Wind Project substation to the APS switchyard. The Interconnection Project, subject to the requirements of a CEC, includes the 500-kv Project substation, 5-mile-long 500-kV gen-tie, and switchyard upgrades at the planned APS 500-kV switchyard.

    Certificate of Environmental Compatibility Hearings

    RWE submitted a CEC Application on July 24, 2023. The Line Siting Committee hearing on the CEC Application is scheduled to begin at the following date, time, and location:

    September 5, 2023, beginning at 1:00 PM
    September 6, 2023, beginning at 9:00 AM
    High County Conference Center, 1899 Ballroom
    307 West Dupont Ave.
    Flagstaff, Arizona 86001

    Any revisions to the hearing schedule will be noticed on this website and on the Arizona Corporation Commission website at: https://www.azcc.gov/arizona-power-plant/meeting-schedule. The Case Number for the CEC Application is L-21261A-23-0219-00225.

    Public comment will be taken in a special session on Tuesday, September 5, 2023, beginning at 5:30 pm., Public comment may be presented via zoom (link provided below), or in person at the High Country Conference Center’s 1899 Ballroom located at 307 West Dupont Ave., Flagstaff, Arizona 86001. Public comment may also be taken at the beginning of each hearing day, or at the other times during the hearing, at the discretion of the chairman of the committee.

    No tour of the project is planned at this time. If the Committee decides to conduct a tour, a notice that includes a map and itinerary of any such tour will be available at the hearing and posted on this website and the ACC website noted above.

    CEC Hearing Links for Remote Participation

    EVENT DATES LINK NOTE
    CEC hearings before the Arizona Power Plant and Transmission Line Siting Committee 9/5, starting at 1:00 PM
    9/6, starting at 9:00 AM     		https://vimeo.com/event/3607163 View-only link for the public to watch CEC hearings.
    Public comment session 9/5, starting at 5:30 PM Join Zoom Meeting
    https://us06web.zoom.us/j/88384677795     		For the public to participate in the comment session.
    Public comment Vimeo link 9/5, starting at 5:30 PM https://vimeo.com/event/3607172 View-only link for the public to watch the comment session.

  • RWE will execute a large generator interconnection application (LGIA) with APS and the Navajo Southern Transmission System (NSTS) members. The Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation), as a part owner of the NSTS, is required to approve the LGIA. All interconnection requests for the NSTS that result in a LGIA must be submitted to APS and approved by the owners of the transmission line, including the Regional Director of Reclamation’s Lower Colorado Basin Region. Prior to the Regional Director’s approval, Reclamation must complete an environmental review of the proposed interconnection in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) (Public Law [PL] 91-190). Reclamation, as the lead federal agency, is preparing an environmental assessment (EA) for the proposed Interconnection Project to assess the environmental effects of the proposed interconnection. As part of the interconnection agreement process, APS will complete a System Impact Study and a Facilities Study to assess the requirements of the proposed interconnection.

    The System Impact Study is planned to be completed in October 2024 and the Facilities Study is planned for July 2025. The results of these studies will define the scope of APS’s facilities that will be constructed as well as any other off-site transmission network or communication upgrades that may be needed to accommodate the interconnection.

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