Sunday, Feb. 22, 2009 | 2 a.m.
Sun Archives
- Las Vegas company plans Northern Nevada wind farm (2-20-2009)
- Wind power's potential in peril? (2-15-2009)
- Wind-energy industry hopes to regain its momentum (2-13-2009)
- Reno wind-turbine maker expands to Costa Rica (2-6-2009)
The Washoe County Planning Commission has approved plans for what could become Nevada’s first commercial-scale wind-powered electrical generating facility, over opposition of critics who say the towering wind turbines will destroy views and upset their lifestyle.
The 44-turbine wind farm — the Virginia Peak Wind Project — is planned for a site about 20 miles northeast of Sparks. It is designed to generate enough power for about 36,000 homes — in California, to which the power would be exported.
The $200 million project, proposed by Las Vegas-based Nevada Wind Co., must also be approved by the Sparks City Council, the Washoe County Commission and a regional planning commission.
The power will be sold to a subsidiary of energy giant Edison International.
Nevada Wind Co. hopes to have the project completed and on line by fall 2010.
The project will create about 250 short-term jobs and at least 17 permanent jobs, and could generate up to $1 million a year in local taxes.
The company and unions have collected hundreds of signatures in support of 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.
The project is one of several Nevada Wind Co. has planned for the state. The company is working to obtain permits for four wind farms that would sell energy to Edison along with five other plants. Most of the projects are planned for the Ely area.
In Southern Nevada, Duke Energy has proposed a 161-turbine wind farm at Searchlight that would generate enough electricity to serve more than 100,000 homes. If it gets the necessary approvals, it would open in 2011 at the soonest.
NV Energy’s China Mountain Wind Farm, with 80 to 100 turbines to produce enough electricity for about 65,000 homes, is being developed with RES America along the Idaho border near Jackpot. It may start operating in 2011.
A version of this story appeared in this week’s In Business Las Vegas, a sister publication of the Sun.
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