Eva Creek Wind Farm

2013
Ferry, Alaska
Golden Valley Electric Association (GVEA)

In October 2012, Golden Valley Electric Association (GVEA) began to generate power at a new, 24.6-megawatt (MW) wind farm near the small community of Ferry, Alaska, which is approximately 15 miles north of Healy. The wind farm consists of 12, 410 foot-tall wind turbine generators; a 16-mile access road; and 2 permanent support buildings, along with material sources that were developed for the project’s construction. Electricity generated by the turbines feeds into GVEA’s 230-kilovolt (kV) (energized at 138 kV) Northern Transmission Line, which passes through the project site.

As a design consultant to Michels Wind Energy, RESPEC provided the civil and structural design and land surveying services for the entire project as well as full engineering services (civil, structural, mechanical, and electrical) for the two support buildings.

RESPEC designed the following specific elements:
• Improvements to the railroad siding loading area at Ferry
• Upgrades to approximately 10 miles of Ferry Road/Trail
• Approximately 6 miles of new roadway from the end of existing roads into the project site at Eva Creek
• Foundations and gravel pads for the 12 wind turbines
• Construction camp
• Material sites and a concrete batch plant
• Temporary laydown yards
• Operations and maintenance building at Eva Creek
• Garage/warm storage building near the railroad siding at Ferry