Energy company holds open house on Laramie Range Wind Project amid concerns

CHEYENNE — Following many unanswered questions and consistent backlash from community members, Repsol Renewables North America, the energy infrastructure company spearheading the Laramie Range Wind Project, held an open house in Cheyenne Thursday evening to address the public’s concerns.

For the open house, which was held in the Kiwanis Community House in Lions Park, Repsol officials set up poster boards with varying categories of information regarding the wind farm, such as community benefits, the project boundaries, construction information, environmental review and more.

There were also around 10 Repsol officials in attendance to answer questions.

The open house was held almost two weeks after ConnectGen Laramie County, an affiliate of Repsol, sent a letter to property owners and local agencies in the project area stating the company’s intent to submit an application to the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality’s Industrial Siting Council to permit the wind farm on private and state lands.

The letter also details some changes made to the original plan, such as the number of turbines, size of the project boundary, a change in construction routes and more.

Initially, the wind farm was proposed to entail 170 turbines installed on more than 56,000 acres of unincorporated Laramie County land 20 miles northwest of Cheyenne.

However, ConnectGen’s letter stated that the project is now proposed to be 139 turbines on 41,220 acres of private ranch land and land managed by the Wyoming Office of State Lands and Investments in the same area.

The letter also follows a Sept. 16 meeting, where the Laramie County Board of County Commissioners denied ConnectGen’s site plan for the project — a decision the company is currently fighting in district court.

More than 100 people were in attendance at the open house just after doors opened at 5:30 p.m. Many people had the same concerns they’ve had from the beginning: That many aspects of the wind farm plan are vague or unanswered.

One attendee, who requested anonymity due to her employment situation in Cheyenne, came with a list of questions, many of which she told the Wyoming Tribune Eagle were not adequately answered. 

One of her questions for Repsol officials was whether the newly amended wind farm plan would fall under the 2022 Laramie County land-use regulations or the new regulations that were passed in August. She said none of the Repsol officials could directly answer the question.

“They filed this to be under the old regulations that had separate committees and different orders with different regulations,” she said. “That time has now passed. They were voted out. I know there’s some litigation regarding the commissioners vote, but they were specifically struck down.”

“They’ve now drastically changed the plan to the point that I, personally, think it’s a new plan,” she continued, “but they’re still trying to use the old regulations that have less protections for the community and the surrounding areas.”

Charlie Banke, Laramie Range Wind Project development manager, told the WTE that the new wind farm plan actually complies with both the 2022 and the 2025 regulations.

“We are meeting or exceeding all regulations that we could potentially find ourselves under,” Banke said. “The changes we’ve made have not been to appease a certain set of lengthy regulations, if that makes sense. We’ve made changes based on community feedback, and all the changes are well within all the regulations we would find ourselves under.”

One open house attendee came just a little bit farther from home than others.

Anne Brande is the executive director of the Albany County Conservancy in Laramie. She, along with other Laramie residents, have been battling the Rail Tie Wind Project, which is also being spearheaded by Repsol Renewables.

Brande said she’s concerned not just with the Laramie Range Wind Project, but with all proposed wind projects in southeastern Wyoming. She said after doing lots of research, she’s found approximately 28 established and proposed wind farm projects.

Additionally, Brande — along with many Cheyenne- area residents — is concerned about the impact wind farms have on wildlife.

She said the state’s wildlife are what make it so appealing not just to residents, but to tourists, too.

“I just think we can do better as a state,” Brande said. “Our second economic driver in this state is tourism. … I think a lot of people come to Wyoming to see wildlife. … I would like Wyoming, for my children, to be like it was when I was growing up. I’d like to keep what’s special about it.”

When asked about wildlife mitigation, Banke told the WTE that ConnectGen has coordinated with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on years of studies dating back to 2021.

ConnectGen is also committed to using Identiflight, Banke said, which is a camera system that allows wind farm officials to track and identify raptors and, more specifically, eagles. When an eagle is detected, the system will shut down turbines in the vicinity.

While concerns about impacts and mitigation remain a large part of the discussion, Repsol officials emphasized that the project is still in the permitting phase, and that they are committed to finding a mutually agreeable path forward for all parties involved.

This story was published on Jan. 31, 2026.