Our Story
Intermountain Wind’s founders and primary investors are farmers and ranchers from Wyoming and Idaho. We see significant opportunity for the land we love to play an important role in the energy future of the region and the country. We’ve been incorporated since 2007 and working with other landowners and local government officials to make sure that the western states’ wind resource brings economic improvement to the region, without compromising the land and values that we hold dear.
Our Model
Intermountain Wind strives to create value by connecting the cheapest source of electrical generation in the western grid to the major load centers through an efficient use of new and existing transmission infrastructure. This goal is achieved by cultivating strategic partnerships with governments, regulated and unregulated utilities, and infrastructure investors.
Our Values
The people who make up Intermountain Wind believe that renewable energy is essential to the future health and well-being of the region, the United States of America, and the world. Home-grown wind energy provides jobs and economic benefit to rural parts of the United States and promotes energy independence for the entire country. We hold ourselves to the highest standards of ethical operation, transparency, and environmental stewardship. These operating values guide our decision making in our relations with our partners, the local communities in which we seek to develop projects, and all regulatory agencies.
Our Process
Identify
Intermountain Wind works to identify sites in the Western States that have a high potential to host wind electricity generation projects. We work to build relationships with landowners and regulatory agencies around these sites. We evaluate the wind resources and anticipate environmental impacts before selecting the best sites to develop. In the next step of this phase, Intermountain Wind partners with landowners to secure access rights.
Build
Once a site has been identified, Intermountain Wind works with turbine manufacturers to select the optimum equipment and design the configuration for the project. In parallel, we work to complete economic, environmental, acoustic, transportation, and cultural impact assessments. Additionally in this phase, Intermountain Wind confirms transmission for the generated electricity and interconnection with an off-taker.
Transfer
Once the project has been approved for construction, Intermountain Wind works to transfer the project to a strategic investor. In return for development fees, strategic investors receive a well-designed project for which the major development risks have been mitigated. They receive a guarantee of a stable income stream in the form of a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA).
Our Commitment
Diversity, Inclusion, and Equal Employment Opportunity Policy:
Intermountain Wind, LLC is committed to fostering, cultivating and preserving a culture of diversity, equity and inclusion. We embrace and encourage our employees’ differences in age, color, disability, ethnicity, family or marital status, gender identity or expression, language, national origin, physical and mental ability, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, veteran status, and other characteristics that make our employees unique. Intermountain Wind, LLC prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type and affords equal employment opportunities to employees and applicants without regard to any of the characteristics listed in this policy or any other characteristic protected by law.
Environmental Stewardship and Biodiversity:
Intermountain Wind LLC is committed to reducing its impact on the environment. We strive to improve our environmental performance over time and to initiate additional projects and activities that will further reduce our impacts on the environment. Our commitment to the environment extends to our customers, our staff, and the communities in which our projects are developed. We are committed to: complying with all applicable environmental regulations; training all of our staff on our environmental program and empowering them to contribute and participate; communicating our environmental commitment and efforts to our customers, staff, and our community; and continually improving over time by striving to measure our environmental impacts and by setting goals to reduce these impacts each year.
Through our project development and corporate activity, Intermountain Wind LLC is committed to biodiversity and to enhancing local flora, fauna and ecosystems that make an important contribution to life in the communities in which we work.
Freely Chosen Labor:
Intermountain Wind prohibits the use of forced labor of any kind, including the restriction on movement of workers and their access to basic liberties. Intermountain Wind will not employ, directly or through others, people who are not working of their own free will. Intermountain Wind will seek to ensure that its suppliers, and subcontractors will adhere to the same standards.
Fair Trade:
Intermountain Wind LLC strives to create equal opportunities for all producers of goods in its supply chain. To do so, Intermountain Wind promotes transparency and accountability of the entire supply chain, payment at a fair price for all goods and adherence to fair trading practices.