World Wind Watch | Green Energy News

September 7, 2003 – Vol.8 No.24

WORLD WIND WATCH.

Six members of the Last Mile Electric Cooperative - all small consumer-owned utilities and a non-profit - have secured the development rights for 20,000 acres along the Columbia River in Washington state for future wind energy development. Two years of wind data have already been collected for the site, which could be developed to supply 150 -200 megawatts of wind energy.

Last Mile, with 15 members, was established in 2001 to provide an opportunity for small, consumer-owned utilities to build renewable capacity. Wind capacity built at the site could be operating in a year or two. New employment opportunities for the area were part of the reason for the planned wind power development. Visit Last Mile at http://www.lastmile.coop/ .

Arcadia HTH, a partnership HTH Wind Energy and Arcadia Wind Power, has announced it is planning a 400-megawatt wind farm for the state of Wyoming. To be built near Glenrock, the $515 million facility will have 136 and 222 turbines depending on the output of turbines chosen for the site.

To help attract wind energy like this project to the state, the state Legislature recently enacted a five-year sales tax exemption on all equipment purchases for renewable energy projects. Visit Arcadia at http://www.arcadiawind.com/ .

Despite its presumably vast wind resources - long windy coastlines, endless windswept prairies - Canada has only 312 megawatts of wind capacity. But at least another 150 megawatts will be added to the national total when SaskPower and partner ATCO Power increase their wind portfolio by 2007.

SaskPower currently has 17.1 megawatts of wind capacity at its Cypress Wind Power Facility in southwestern Saskatchewan. That facility will have another 5 megawatts added this year. The additional capacity will be built at as yet undetermined sites starting as soon as 2004. Visit SaskPower at http://www.saskpower.com/ .

With agreeable wind conditions and fairly shallow waters, the Irish Sea is becoming a popular spot for offshore wind. Centrica with Danish partner Dong and Norwegian company Statkraf have announced plans to build a 90-megawatt, 30 turbine facility 5 miles off the northwest coast near the town of Barrow. Centrica and partners purchased the rights to develop the tract from Barrow Offshore Wind. The project is valued at GBP 100 million ($160 million) Visit Centrica at http://www.centrica.co.uk/ .