Las Vegas company plans Northern Nevada wind farm

By Stephanie Tavares

Friday, Feb. 20, 2009 | 2 a.m.

Nevada may soon see its first commercial-scale wind farm.

The Washoe County Planning Commission this month unanimously approved plans for a 60 to 150 megawatt wind farm near Sparks.

The 3,500-acre wind farm — the Virginia Peak Wind Project — is planned about 20 miles northeast of Sparks. It includes a 17-mile transmission line to the Tracy substation.

The wind farm is being developed by Las Vegas-based Nevada Wind Co. and is expected to cost about $200 million.

The power will be sold to a subsidiary of energy giant Edison International, which will export it for use in California.

Nevada Wind Co. hopes to have the project completed and on line by the third quarter of 2010.

The project, which is located on privately owned land, is expected to obtain permits more quickly than if it were built on federal land.

“We’d like to start building a year from now,” Nevada Wind Co. Chief Executive Tim Carlson said. “But a lot depends on the weather and permits and the turbine manufacturers.”

The project has been hailed by Nevada unions and electricians as a way to boost jobs in the region. The project will create about 250 short-term jobs and at least 17 permanent jobs, depending on the wind farm’s size.

And it could generate about $1 million a year in local taxes.

The company and unions have collected hundreds of signatures on petitions supporting the wind farm.

But some residents say the dozens of wind turbines, each about 300 feet tall, will ruin their mountain views and forever alter their way of life. They also have complained of potential disruptions as a result of construction activity.

The project got final approval from the planning commission after four public meetings with the Community Advisory Board and two community workshops.

“It was only approved after several meetings,” Carlson said. “It’s been vetted in detail by the public.”

The planning commission’s OK is only the first step in the permit process. The wind farm must also get approval from Sparks, Washoe County Commission and the Regional Planning Commission before it can break ground.

The project is one of several that Nevada Wind Co. has planned for the state. The company is working on obtaining permits for four wind farms that would sell energy to Edison along with five other plants. Most of the projects are planned near Ely.

The company’s founders are longtime Nevadans — Carlson has worked for the Nevada Development Authority and the Nevada Test Site — and they have no plans to attempt wind farms out of state.

“We’re truly a Nevada company,” Carlson said. “And we’ve got our hands full with what we’ve got. We know Nevada very well, and we think if we can do it anywhere we can do it here.”