Oklahoma § 17-160.13 - Definitions

§ 17-160.13. Definitions

As used in the Oklahoma Wind Energy Development Act:

1. “Abandonment” means the failure to generate electricity from

commercial wind energy equipment for a period of twenty-four (24)

consecutive months for reasons other than curtailment, repowering, a

valid judicial order or other governmental regulatory action, with

no pending negotiations for purchase. A wind energy facility shall

not be considered abandoned if the owner or operator has elected not

to run the facility, but it has been maintained in proper working

order and is capable of generating electricity;

2. “Commencement of construction” means beginning excavation of

wind turbine foundations or other actions relating to the actual

erection and installation of commercial wind energy equipment. It

shall not include erection of meteorological towers, environmental

assessments, surveys, preliminary engineering or other activities

associated with assessment of development of the wind resources on a

given parcel of property;

Oklahoma Statutes - Title 17. Corporation Commission

3. “Commercial generation date” means the date on which the

wind turbine in question first generates electrical energy in

commercial quantities;

4. “Commercial wind energy equipment” means a wind tower and

turbine with five hundred kilowatts (500kw) or greater of total

nameplate generating capacity;

5. “Commercial quantities” means an amount of electrical energy

sufficient for sale or use off-site from a wind turbine or wind

energy facility, and shall not include amounts of electrical energy

used only for the maintenance or testing of the wind turbine or wind

energy facility itself;

6. “Owner” means the entity having a majority equity interest

in commercial wind energy equipment, including their respective

successors and assigns;

7. “Useful life” means the time during which a wind turbine or

wind energy facility is generating electricity in commercial

quantities;

8. “Wind turbine” means a wind energy conversion system which

converts wind energy into electricity through the use of a wind

turbine generator and includes the turbine, blade, tower, base and

pad transformer, if any; and

9. “Wind energy facility” means an electrical generation

facility consisting of one or more wind turbines under common

ownership or operating control, and includes substations,

meteorological data towers, aboveground and underground electrical

transmission lines, transformers, control systems, and other

buildings or facilities used to support the operation of the

facility, and whose primary purpose is to supply electricity to an

off-site customer or customers. Wind energy facility shall not

include a wind energy facility located entirely on property held in

fee simple absolute estate by the owner of the wind energy facility.

Added by Laws 2010, c. 319, § 3, eff. Jan. 1, 2011.