Oilman investing in Nevada energy farms

Wednesday, March 27, 2002 | 11:08 a.m.

The power of desert wind frequently whips dust across the mountains and valleys of Southern Nevada. Within two years the wind could also be turning on the lights and appliances for electricity users in the region.

Wind-power efforts proposed for Southern Nevada received a significant boost today with the announcement that Mesa Energy Co., owned by Texas oilman Boone Pickens, would invest an undisclosed amount in two $100 million projects to put turbines on top of two of the region's mountains.

One of the wind farms would be on Shoshone Mountain in the Nevada Test Site in Nye County. The other is planned for Table Mountain near Goodsprings in southern Clark County on Bureau of Land Management property.

Both are planned by consortium Global Renewable Energy Partners, based in Denmark.

"This is the first wind project in which we have been involved," Pickens said in a statement. "We are fully behind its completion ... Wind farms mean clean energy for the future, one source that can't be exhausted and one that should be promoted."

Tim Carlson, president of a local consulting firm representing the consortium, said the financing commitment is a critical step needed to turn the projects into reality.

Nevada Power Co. agreed to buy the electricity that the wind farms would produce earlier this month, another important step.

Still necessary will be environmental approval. Carlson said federally required environmental impact statements will be available for public review within a month or two.

The first phase of the test site project would have about 50 turbines, and provide 85 megawatts -- about enough electricity for 50,000 homes.

But when both wind farms are fully built, they could provide enough combined power to light and cool 250,000 homes during the summer months, Carlson said.

Several hundred turbines at both locations would convert the wind into electricity. The blades are about 100 feet high.

"These are beautiful machines. Huge and beautiful," Carlson said.

Carlson said it has been a long and sometimes frustrating process to bring the wind farms close to reality. But construction could start this summer on the test site wind farm and at the Table Mountain site later in the year.

Power could start to flow to the grid by the end of 2003, he said.

The proposals to launch the wind farms came over a year ago. Some Nye County officials have shared the developer's frustration.

James Marble, Nye County Natural Resources director, said county officials have largely been out of the loop in terms of possible benefits and drawbacks to the wind farm.

He said the county is eager, however, to attract investment in clean, renewable energy sources. GREP is one of several companies that are exploring such plants in Nye County.

Geothermal plants harvesting underground heat and solar plants also are possibilities, Marble said.

"We welcome their investment and economic growth in the community," Marble said.

The two wind farms would bring about 50 permanent jobs to Southern Nevada, with about half of those jobs going to Nye County, Carlson said.

Not everyone has greeted the wind farms with enthusiasm. The U.S. Air Force has expressed concerns about the turbines at the test site, according to local Department of Energy and Air Force officials.

The military uses nearby dry lakes for secret research on advanced aircraft. Kevin Thornton, Department of Energy project manager, said he couldn't go into details on their concerns. Air Force media sources confirmed the concerns but also did not provide details.

The military's concern may be similar to those of hang-gliding enthusiasts who use Table Mountain as a launching site for their aircraft.

"It puts one of our sites out of business," said Steve Smith, who operates Las Vegas Airsports, which offers hang-gliding flights, equipment and training.

Smith said he's not sure if the Table Mountain wind farm will prevent hang gliding, but will look at the environmental impact statement carefully.

About 120 people are active locally in the recreational sport, he said.

Carlson said he doesn't know if the wind farm will have a negative impact on the gliding fans or not. The environmental studies will address the issue, he said.

Thornton, with the Department of Energy, said other issues that must be included in the environmental impact statement on the test site will be archeological sites and the effect the turbines would have on local plants and animals.

Jane Feldman, an activist with the local arm of the Sierra Club, said the group welcomes environmentally sound energy production, but has concerns about the impact the Table Mountain project will have on birds, reptiles and other animals in southern Clark County.

Carlson said the environmental studies will be thorough. The two sites staked out now are essentially demonstration projects indicating their long-term feasibility, so are receiving especially close scrutiny from federal agencies.

The future could bring more wind farms and more jobs to Nevada, he said. The projects are now economically competitive with natural gas-powered generators.

Wind power also has a huge advantage over power from gas or other fossil fuels because it is very stable. Carlson said the price of electricity produced at the wind farms will remain fixed over the 20 to 30 year life span of the projects.

GREP President John Johansen said the effort is also receiving a boost from political support in Washington. Last week tax credits for renewable energy were included in an economic stimulus package.

Nathan Naylor, spokesman for Senate Majority Whip Harry Reid, said Reid is trying to include incentives for renewable energy in a larger energy bill now being debated in Congress.

"It makes environmental sense. It makes economic sense," Naylor said. "Any time you have business stepping up to the plant and is willing to invest in renewable energy, it's good for the state and the nation."