DOE proposes windmill electric generators in Nevada

Jace Radke

Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2000 | 11:18 a.m.

A U.S. Energy Department proposal could harness the wind in Nevada with giant windmills creating an alternative power source.

The proposal calls for more than 300 wind turbines, each standing about 150 feet tall with 75-foot-long arms, to be placed across 10,000 acres of Nevada Test Site land, DOE spokeswoman Nancy Harkess said.

"This is a unique project for Nevada," Harkess said. "The maximum power output for such a facility could be as much as a constant 260 megawatts that could be available to the power grid. It could really help out the small rural towns to have that power available."

The power the project would create will make a difference when it comes on line considering that one megawatt equals one million watts of power. A car can run on about 200,000 watts of power, and a washing machine may use about 375 watts of power.

The turbines will be spread out across Shoshone Mountain, Pahute Mesa and Skull Mountain, three sites with high elevations allowing for greater wind currents.

The Test Site is being considered as the area to build the project because of the security, facilities and infrastructure already in place there, Harkess said.

The DOE will host a public comment session tonight at 6:30 p.m. at the Bob Rudd Community Center in Pahrump to brainstorm an environmental assessment of the project sites.

"The scoping meeting will give us a chance to hear the public's concerns and develop a baseline before we forge ahead with the environmental assessment," Harkess said.

A draft of the assessment is expected to be completed in January, with a final assessment ready by early April. Construction could take an estimated three to five years, and could mean hundreds of jobs and more than $80 million for the Southern Nevada economy.

The wind farm is expected to need a staff of 30 to maintain and run it, and would be similar to farms located in the mountain passes around Palm Springs, Calif.

DOE Project Manager Kevin Thornton says that the wind farm should operate for about 35 years once constructed, providing an alternative energy source.