Forty-three windmills that began turning last winter near Roosevelt are bringing power to the Cowlitz Public Utility District.
Partly owned by the PUD, the project known as Harvest Wind received a U.S. Treasury Department grant for 30 percent of the eligible construction costs through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (the stimulus package) of 2009. The $60.76 million grant reduced the project costs to about $160 million, said Dave Andrew, spokesman for Cowlitz PUD.
The project stands on 9,500 acres of ranch land in Klickitat County adjacent to the White Creek Wind Project. Energy powered under Harvest Wind will meet the needs of 14,000 residences in the Pacific Northwest, Andrew said.
Cowlitz PUD will begin using energy from Harvest Wind in 2021, he said.
“We built out ahead of our need,” Andrew said. “We’re selling the power now to a western market that includes states up and down the coast. As time goes on and we have greater power demand, we’ll use (it).”
All power companies in Washington must get at least 3 percent of their energy from renewable resources other than hydropower by 2012. Andrew said the new wind farm will help Cowlitz PUD meet that requirement.
The 98.9-megawatt project employs 10 people for operations and maintenance. During construction, 260 full-time jobs were filled.
Harvest Wind is owned by Cowlitz PUD and three other utility companies. Cowlitz PUD and Lakeview Light and Power each own 30 percent of the wind farm, while Eugene Water & Electric Board and Peninsula Light Company of Gig Harbor own 20 percent each.