Wild Horse — Plant Summary
- EIA Plant ID
- 56322
- Capacity
- 273.1 MW
- Primary Fuel
- Wind
- Technology
- Onshore Wind Turbine, Solar Photovoltaic
- Status
- Operating
- Location
- Kittitas, WA
- Operating Since
- 2006
- Generators
- 3
- Operator
- Puget Sound Energy Inc
- Parent Company
- PUGET HOLDINGS
- Annual Generation
- 590,982 MWh
- Capacity Factor
- 24.7%
- Balancing Authority
- Puget Sound Energy
- ISO/RTO
- —
- NERC Region
- WECC
Wild Horse
OperatingSolarWindHybrid
Ranked #2 of 24 Wind plants in WA#142 of 1442 nationally
273.1 MW Onshore Wind Turbine (273 MW) + Solar Photovoltaic (1 MW) operating in Kittitas, WA — Puget Sound Energy
EIAGEMWD
273.1 MW
Nameplate Capacity
3
Generators
units
Hybrid (2)
Technology
Onshore Wind Turbine + Solar Photovoltaic
2006
Operating Since
Location
Coordinates
47.0295, -120.1998
County
Kittitas, WA
Nearby Plants
- Vantage Wind Energy LLCWind90 MW · 8.8 km
- Penstemon Solar ProjectSolar5 MW · 22.6 km
- Camas Solar ProjectSolar5 MW · 24.5 km
Ownership & Operator
| Field | EIA | GEM | Wikidata |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operator | Puget Sound Energy Inc | Puget Sound Energy | Puget Sound Energy |
| Owner(s) | Puget Sound Energy Inc | PUGET HOLDINGS | — |
| Status | Operating | operating | — |
Ownership Chain
About
The Wild Horse Wind Farm is a 273-megawatt wind farm that generates energy for Puget Sound Energy that consists of one hundred twenty seven 1.8-megawatt Vestas V80 turbines and twenty two 2.0-megawatt Vestas V80 turbines on a 10,800-acre (4,400 ha) site in Kittitas County, Washington, 17 miles (27 km) east of Ellensburg, Washington. The turbines are placed on the high open Shrub-steppe ridge tops of Whiskey Dick Mountain, which was chosen for its energetic wind resource, remote location, and access to nearby power transmission lines. The towers are 221 feet (67 m) tall, and each blade is 129 feet (39 m) long, with a total rotor diameter of 264 feet (80 m), larger than the wingspan of a Boeing 747. The turbines can begin producing electricity with wind speeds as low as 9 mph (14 km/h) and reach full production at 31 mph (50 km/h). They shut down at sustained wind speeds of 56 mph (90 km/h). The site is also home to one of the largest solar array (500 kW) in Washington.
Read more on WikipediaWild Horse is a hybrid wind and solar power plant located in Kittitas County, Washington. The plant, which began operating in 2006, has a total capacity of 273.1 MW and is owned by PUGET HOLDINGS and operated by Puget Sound Energy Inc. It is the second-largest of 17 wind plants in Washington state, and ranks 140th out of 734 nationally. The facility consists of three generators utilizing onshore wind turbine and solar photovoltaic technologies. The balancing authority is Puget Sound Energy, and the plant operates within the WECC NERC region.
The wind component of Wild Horse uses Vestas V80-1.8 turbines with a hub height of 67 meters and a rotor diameter of 80 meters. The solar component uses fixed-tilt tracking. The plant's latest annual generation was 590,982 MWh, resulting in a capacity factor of 24.7%. Financial data indicates an installed cost of $1644.05 per kW, with data sourced from FERC filings.
Generated from EIA, GEM, and public data sources
Engineering & Generators
Grid Context
NERC Region
WECC
Balancing Authority
Puget Sound Energy
Grid Voltage
230 kV
Regulatory Status
RE
Entity Type
Investor-Owned Utility
Sector
Electric Utility
Generation
59.2K MWh
Latest Month
591.0K MWh
Annual Generation
24.7%
Capacity Factor
Jan 2023 – Dec 2025
Financial DataBeta
Source: FERC Form 1HIGH
$1,644/kW
Installed Cost
$13.4/MWh
Operating Cost
Puget Sound Energy, Inc.
Reporting Utility
Annual Capital & Operating Expenses
Pricing & Market Data
This plant is outside organized wholesale electricity markets (ISOs/RTOs). Nodal pricing data is not available.
News & Articles (10)Beta
Regulatory·permitting
Gov. Ferguson pauses approval of major solar project in central Washington
The governor wants the Carriger Solar project to proceed, but not until the Yakama Nation has more time to weigh in on cultural resource...
Gov. Ferguson (regulator)Yakama Nation (other)
Oregon Public Broadcasting - OPB·7 months ago
Regulatory·permitting
Ecology blazing the trail for more clean energy projects
The Washington Department of Ecology released three environmental studies intended to help developers, regulators, Tribes and the public make early decisions.
Washington Department of Ecology (regulator)
Department of Ecology - State of Washington (.gov)·8 months ago
Industry·corporate
Wind energy jobs are taking off, but so are risks - High Country News
Workers are pushing for improved training and safety standards to help avoid falls, electrocution and equipment failure.
High Country News·1 years ago
Regulatory·permitting
Inslee rejects recommendation to shrink footprint of massive wind farm
The future of one of the largest wind farms ever proposed in Washington got a boost Thursday as Gov. Jay Inslee told a state panel it went too far downsizing...
Jay Inslee (regulator)
Washington State Standard·1 years ago
Last updated 2026-03-14
View all 10 articles