Why are those giant wind turbine blades being unloaded in Pasco?
A curious thing happened in east Pasco last week.
A train loaded with wind turbine blades quietly pulled up to a little-used stretch of railroad at Big Pasco Industrial Center.
One by one, workers rigged straps around the blades, lifted them off the trains near Oregon Avenue and lowered them onto racks.
Later, they’ll be lifted onto trucks and driven to wind farms across the region.
The Port of Pasco is serving as a temporary way station as unwieldy wind turbine blades move from manufacturer to a windfarm where they’ll be mounted on poles and turn gusts into electricity.
A Wyoming company that hauls oversized loads, including the blades that drive wind turbines, is using Pasco as the staging ground while it handles the project.
Takkion Operating LLC began operating last week, even before the ink dried on the lease agreement.
Port officials say the intriguing deal nicely shows off why the Tri-Cities works as a logistics hub.
“This short-term operation is an excellent example of how the port’s industrial centers can support intermodal and multimodal operations to assist local businesses and the entire Pacific Northwest,” said Stephen McFadden, deputy executive director.
Rail cars loaded with blades parked along stretches of unused rail in and around Big Pasco.
Trainspotters can find them near the new Amazon distribution warehouses on South Road 40 East near Sacajawea State Park and along South Oregon Avenue, near Osprey Pointe.
The initial shipment was in the process of being unloaded onto storage braces late last week, apparently awaiting transfer to trucks.
The final destination hasn’t been disclosed.
Projects in the pipeline
There are any number of existing or planned wind farms in the region that could be stocking up on new blades. Utilities are scrambling to add low-carbon power sources to meet the state’s 2030 clean energy goals.
That translates to new projects and expansions. For now, it’s anyone’s guess where the ones passing through Pasco will end up. Blades carried serial numbers indicating they were manufactured by LM Wind Power, part of GE Vernova.
It does not appear to be the Horse Heaven Wind Project, the controversial Benton County project that is in the permits and compliance phase of the Washington Energy Facilities Siting and Evaluation Council approval process.
The 72,000-acre project by Scout Clean Energy would have 222 wind turbines with a maximum output of 1,150 megawatts, though the final configuration is unclear.
Energy Northwest said its Nine Canyon Wind project, which is southeast of Kennewick, is not expecting new turbine blades.
Stateline Wind Project began producing power for PacifiCorp on the Washington Oregon border in 2001. NextEra Energy, the Florida Power and Light company that owns the project, couldn’t be reached.
Motorists beware
Regardless of where the blades are going, getting them there promises to bring drama to Tri-City roadways this summer.
The blades transiting through Pasco are about 100 feet long and are curved. They are equivalent to a 10-story building.
Add in the length of a truck to haul them, and the vehicle can exceed 130 feet.
Delivery routes must be meticulously planned and each must be escorted by pilot vehicles on public roads.
About the deal
Takkion, operating as Transportation Partners & Logistics, has a three-month lease to use five acres and 7,000 feet of unused rail.
It is paying $22,000 a month in rent. The port’s elected commission approved the agreement at its May 27 business meeting.
McFadden credited BNSF Railway with flagging Pasco as a good place to transfer the oversized blades to trucks.
The temporary transfer station is conveniently next to Lampson International’s Pasco crane facility. Lampson supplied the cranes handling the job.
This story was originally published May 31, 2026 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Why are those giant wind turbine blades being unloaded in Pasco?."