Both the energy crunch in California and a growing demand for renewable energy resources may soon be tempered thanks to two new wind energy projects, the plans for which were recently announced.
The first project, called the Stateline Wind Generating Project, will be the world’s largest wind-power facility. It will consist of 450 windmills located southwest of Walla Walla, Wash., along the Oregon-Washington state line. The 240-foot windmills will generate enough electricity for 70,000 homes in eleven Western states, with 200 megawatts generated in Walla Walla County and 100 megawatts in Umatilla County, Ore. The facility will be built, owned, and operated by FPL Energy—a sister company to Florida Power & Light, the nations largest developer and operator of wind-power facilities. PacifiCorp, an Oregon utility, will purchase and distribute the electricity across the West over a 25-year period. Construction on the Oregon portion of the facility is scheduled to begin in Feb. 2001 and could be completed by the end of the year.
The second project, announced by the US Department of Energy (DOE), is a government-sponsored wind-power facility, which will be located 65 miles northwest of Las Vegas near the California border. It will be the nations second-largest wind-power facility, with 300 wind turbines generating 260 megawatts a day. The project should be completed in 2004 and is estimated to cost at least $260 million. The DOE has agreed to a subeasement for 664 acres of land to M&N Windpower and Siemens Energy & Automation.
Based in part on reports from the Associated Press.
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