February 14, 2008
Arizona
Arizona
Wind. Arizona has an abundance of it and it’s going to power tens of thousands of homes in the future.
Plans are underway to build more than 200 wind turbines, or windmills, near Snowflake in northeastern Arizona. Each would be 30 stories high.
The Dry Lake Wind Project initially would generate enough energy to power 22,000 homes.
Jan Johnson, with PPM Energy, says construction could begin in just a matter of months.
“The State of Arizona has put in place a statewide renewable portfolio standard. That basically is a public policy that would encourage Arizona to get 15 percent of its energy from renewable resources by 2025,” Johnson said.
She said phase one of the Dry Lake project could include 65 megawatts of energy with up to 43 wind turbines, generating enough electricity to power up to 22,000 homes.
That would be only the beginning, Johnson said.
“It’s possible we could provide a total of up to 314 megawatts of additional wind-generated energy, anywhere from 105 to 209 turbines, so it has a lot of potential,” she said.
The project will bring jobs and tax dollars to Arizona, Johnson said.
“It brings property taxes to the community, it brings lease payments to landowners, it brings lots of construction jobs, it brings some operational jobs,” she said. “Wind power projects tend to be very welcome, especially in communities struggling with the economy.”
Johnson said PPM Eneergy also is exploring the development of solar projects in Arizona.
14 February 2008
URL to article: https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2008/02/14/wind-farm-planned-near-snowflake/