|
|
| JUNE 2008
Idaho wind farm project approved by county Ridgeline Energy announced that the Bingham County Planning and Zoning Commission, Idaho, approved a special use permit for the Goshen South wind farm. The permit gives Ridgeline approval to build 150 wind turbines on leased land in Bingham County, Idaho. The wind farm will have the capability to generate up to 450 megawatts of electricity. One megawatt is enough electricity to meet the needs of about 650 homes. Ridgeline Energy vice president Rich Rayhill said, “The Goshen South project will more than double Idaho’s wind energy production. It will help to diversify the region’s energy supply and continues southeastern Idaho’s tradition of clean energy generation.” The wind farm will use only about 200 of the 20,212 acres in the project area, thereby helping to preserve existing uses of the land. The project will rely primarily on improving existing public and farm roads to meet the wind farm’s needs for road access. Construction of the wind farm could begin in 2009 and will provide a substantial stimulus to the local economy in the form of construction jobs and local expenditures for goods and services needed in construction. When completed, the project will provide a large and steady source of tax revenue for Bingham County, primarily through the local property tax. Tax revenues to the County could total from $24 million to more than $100 million over a 30 year operating period, depending on factors such as electricity prices and total generating capacity.
|
|
|