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Wind Power News: Arizona
These news and opinion items are gathered by National Wind Watch in its noncommercial educational effort to help keep readers informed about developments related to industrial wind energy. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions of National Wind Watch. They are the products of and owned by the organizations or individuals noted and are shared here according to “fair use” and “fair dealing” provisions of copyright law.
Judge rules against tribes in lawsuit with ‘largest clean energy project U.S. history’
A federal judge yesterday ruled against The Tohono O’odham Nation, the San Carlos Apache Tribe and environmentalists in a lawsuit to halt work on a $10 billion transmission line being built through an area of cultural significance to the tribes. The SunZia Southwest Transmission Project will carry wind-generated electricity from New Mexico to California. The 520-mile-long powerline is the biggest U.S. electricity infrastructure undertaking since the Hoover Dam and is being lauded as “the largest clean energy project in U.S. . . . Complete story »
In-depth: ‘Beyond belief’: Industrial wind developments could threaten fragile desert ecosystem
The scope and size of these projects are mind-boggling. A landmark interregional transmission line project has broken ground this week to carry high-voltage electricity 732 miles from the largest wind farm in North America to Nevada. The TransWest Express Transmission Project (TWE) will take electricity generated by the $5 billion, 3,000 megawatt, 600-turbine Chokecherry and Sierra Madre Wind Energy Project (CSMWE) located in Carbon County, Wyoming, to the Market substation in Eldorado Valley, Nevada, which lies within the largely untouched . . . Complete story »
Navajo County residents protest plans for giant wind farm
Want to build a 200-megawatt solar energy power plant? No problem. How about a 500-megawatt wind farm? Buckle your seat belt. The Navajo County Board of Supervisors this week approved two giant alternative energy installations near Holbrook. The 2,000-acre sea of solar panels slid right on through. The 52,000-acre wind farm blew up a storm of opposition. Both won unanimous approval – but not before people living in the wide-open, high-desert spaces around the proposed wind farm voiced a long list . . . Complete story »
Giant wind farm near Holbrook spawns storm of controversy
Want to build a 200-megawatt solar energy power plant? No problem. How about a 500-megawatt wind farm? Buckle your seat belt. The Navajo County Board of Supervisors this week approved two giant alternative energy installations near Holbrook. The 2,000-acre sea of solar panels slide right on through. The 52,000-acre wind farm blew up a storm of opposition. Both won unanimous approval – but not before people living in the wide-open, high-desert spaces around the proposed wind farm voiced a long list . . . Complete story »
Amped-up: Southern Arizona residents share concerns as construction on 550-Mile transmission line nears
A multi-billion dollar project is generating a lot of ‘buzz.’ SunZia Transmission is the largest clean energy infrastructure project in U.S. history, and it’s happening in our own backyard. Soon, the 550-mile transmission line will bring wind energy from New Mexico to Arizonans. SunZia comprises two transmission lines. The first is a 3,000-megawatt line running from central New Mexico to south-central Arizona. The second is a 1,500-megawatt line running along the same route. According to officials, the two lines will . . . Complete story »
Developer studying potential for massive wind farm north of Tucson
A Boston-based developer is exploring the potential for what would be Arizona’s biggest wind farm on an expanse of high desert in Pinal County north of Oracle, about 30 miles north of Tucson. But the company’s plan to erect up to 83 wind turbines at the site known as Oak Wells has already drawn opposition from local ranchers who say the wind farm would harm rangeland as well as the environment and native wildlife. Oak Wells Wind LLC, an Arizona . . . Complete story »
US firm fined $8m after 150 eagles die at its wind farms
A US-based wind energy firm called ESI Energy, has been slapped with an $8m fine after at least 150 eagles died at its wind farms across eight states over the last 10 years. The company has also been given five years of probation. ESI Energy, a subsidiary of NextEra Energy, has pleaded guilty to three counts of violating the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. The company acknowledged the deaths of golden and bald eagles since 2012 at its farms in Wyoming, . . . Complete story »
Wind energy company kills 150 eagles in US, pleads guilty
A subsidiary of one of the largest U.S. providers of renewable energy pleaded guilty to criminal charges and was ordered to pay over $8 million in fines and restitution after at least 150 eagles were killed at its wind farms in eight states, federal prosecutors said Wednesday. NextEra Energy subsidiary ESI Energy was also sentenced to five years probation after being charged with three counts of violating the Migratory Bird Treaty Act during a court appearance in Cheyenne, Wyoming. The . . . Complete story »
Chevelon Butte Wind Farm begins construction south of Winslow
The AES Corporation has begun ramping up construction of the Chevelon Butte Wind Farm. The project site is located in a remote area approximately 20 miles south of Winslow. Construction workers and management staff have moved to the Flagstaff and Winslow areas, and a main project contractor has established an office on Winslow’s Main Street. Residents can expect an uptick in transportation of materials related to the project along the I-40 corridor and on State Route 99 south of Winslow. . . . Complete story »
Arizona regulators reject new clean-energy rules after years of debate
Arizona regulators have again killed rules that would require Tucson Electric Power and other state-regulated power companies to reach 100% carbon-free energy generation by 2070. The latest twist in the years-long effort by the Arizona Corporation Commission to revamp the state’s clean-energy rules drew fire from supporters who say the rules are crucial for Arizona’s future. The commission voted 3-2 on Wednesday to reject the proposed energy rules, with all three Republican commissioners voting against the measure. The commission had . . . Complete story »
