Interior Secretary Ken Salazar approved the West Butte Wind Project, what could be Central Oregon’s first wind energy project.
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar approved the West Butte Wind Project, what could be Central Oregon’s first wind energy project.
The $220 million wind farm, which has been in the planning stages since 2009, is expected to produce up to 104 megawatts of electricity, enough to power about 30,000 homes.
“This is the last big final approval we were waiting for,” said Sarah Stahl, spokeswoman for West Butte Wind Power, the private company developing West Butte, a partnership of Pacific Wind Power LLC and R-Squared Energy.
Stahl said the company plans to start construction of the 52-turbine wind farm in spring 2012 and is currently working on signing on a utility as a customer for the power through a multi-year power purchase agreement.
Read more at Sustainable Business Oregon.
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