How we helped create a world-class wind energy project in Oklahoma

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Three projects, nearly 1.5 gigawatts of electricity, more than 430,000 homes powered by the wind. And one significant step toward a clean energy future.

There’s no shortage of impressive numbers behind the North Central Energy Facilities in Oklahoma, one of the largest onshore wind energy projects in the world. Owned and operated by American Electric Power (AEP), the project will save $3 billion in electricity costs over the next 30 years for customers of AEP subsidiaries in Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana.

Olsson helped bring the project online. Invenergy, a leading global developer of sustainable energy, relied on us to assist with the development of the Sundance, Maverick, and Traverse wind facilities.

Collectively, the installations represent a $2 billion economic investment that put more than 500 turbines across parts of seven counties in north-central Oklahoma. The three facilities will generate 1,484 megawatts of clean power.

“It’s difficult to quantify the amount of planning, collaboration, professional expertise, construction know-how, and hard work that went into the North Central Energy Facilities,” said Olsson’s Energy Market Leader John Henning.

“Suffice to say, the project is a landmark achievement by Invenergy and all the project partners. We are proud to have had a role in putting this clean energy powerhouse on the grid.”

Our civil and geotechnical engineers, surveyors, biologists, and environmental compliance professionals provided key services for the projects, which collectively represent a milestone in our renewable energy portfolio. 
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sundance

199 megawatts

72 turbines

58,904 homes powered

Our services: stormwater auditing and compliance, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) wetland and stream delineation, environmental compliance and inspection, GIS mapping, geotechnical and special investigations.

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maverick

287 megawatts

103 turbines

84,952 homes powered

Our services: ALTA survey, civil engineering, culvert design, 3D topography modeling for site layouts, intersection design, DOT permit exhibits, erosion control plans, implementation of best-management practices, traffic safety devices, stormwater auditing and compliance, USACE wetland/stream delineation, environmental compliance/inspection.

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traverse

999 megawatts

356 turbines

295,704 homes powered

Our services: avian and bat surveys, biological habitat assessments, cultural resource surveys, stormwater auditing, USACE wetland and stream delineation, environmental compliance and inspection, stormwater auditing and compliance, GIS mapping, geotechnical and special investigations.

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our key CONTRIBUTIONS

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Survey

Our survey team was responsible for completing American Land Title Association (ALTA) surveys for the Maverick project area, which encompassed more than 100 square miles. Our surveyors located section corners, plotted existing deeds and easements, and identified utility locations.
 
It was a massive undertaking that involved extracting data from aerial photography, topographic mapping, planometric drawings, and GPS. The ALTA survey was critical for Invenergy to complete title work so their staff could focus on detailed project design and construction.

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General Civil Engineering

On the Maverick project, our General Civil team designed dozens of access roads that connect turbine sites to county roadways. That, in turn, required the engineering of culvert placements at points where access roads cross drainages. And our technical staff prepared erosion control plans for both the roads and individual turbine sites.

Our civil engineers also secured permits from the Oklahoma Department of Transportation to install traffic control devices at key intersections and roadways. The roads were used by the wide-load, long trailers, cranes, and other heavy equipment needed to build turbines. The control devices included warning signs and lane separators to increase driver awareness and enhance safety at the intersections.

The project scope required management of massive computer-aided design (CAD) files demanded of a project of this size. The contour maps within the files contained millions of vertices, which made file management a critical task. But our technology staff came up with solutions to make the CAD files more easily accessible to the project teams.

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Natural Resources Planning

Our natural resources planning professionals provided essential environmental compliance services on all three projects. For Traverse, we conducted biological assessments and identified protected wildlife species and their habitats. We also helped plot project footprints that allowed Invenergy to avoid environmentally sensitive areas.

“Total avoidance of water features while minimizing impacts to bird nesting sites and protected species makes the design phase more challenging,” said Belinda Butler-Veytia, an Environmental team leader for Olsson.

“But having to obtain permits delays the schedule, so it can make a lot of sense to site projects so they are in the clear as far as environmental impacts.”

Once the projects moved to construction, our Environmental team maintained a field presence to help monitor changing environmental conditions to better avoid hurdles or delays. Our wetland biologists supported delineating wetlands and streams using USACE guidance as construction-timed adjustments to infrastructure occurred. 

We also leveraged GIS mapping software to create project databases that could be updated daily. Our approach gave Invenergy and their contractors regular status updates on their phones and laptops so they could plan to plan the day’s work.

“There are not a lot of firms using these software tools in this way,” Belinda said.

“We adapt and flex to what our clients need and don’t need, looking to incorporate efficiencies so we can provide a greater level of service. Our GIS mapping solution for environmental compliance is a great example that our clients and project partners really find valuable.”  

We also staffed twice-weekly internal meetings to discuss important developments and issues, and we built project dashboards using secure cloud software that allowed reporting and collaboration in real time. The dashboards enabled all project managers to track and update open and closed actions, change requests, schedules, etc.

Our innovative use of technology, our commitment to our clients, and our technical expertise all came together to help complete this landmark clean energy project.