BLACKFOOT, Idaho, April 24 /PRNewswire/ -- Ridgeline Energy is pleased to announce that last night the Bingham County Planning and Zoning Commission 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." A 450 megawatt wind farm will avoid the emission of more than 2 billion pounds of carbon dioxide each year when compared with coal-fired electricity.
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. Landowner Kelly Bingham said, "We love this area and want to see it maintain its rural character. The wind farm will help us hold onto our land and keep it available for farming, ranching, recreation and wildlife habitat."
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. Construction will require more than 200 workers. Ridgeline's Project Manager Randy Gardner said, "Ridgeline is committed to hiring locally for the wind farm construction. We look to working closely with the local business community in the construction of this project."
The long-term need for an operations work force will create a number of new, family-wage local jobs. 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.
Ridgeline Energy, LLC, with personnel located in Idaho, Oregon and Washington, focuses on developing utility-scale wind energy projects in the Pacific Northwest and western United States that meet our customers' needs and provide significant benefits to our host communities and landowners. For more information visit http://www.ridgelineenergy.com/
Ridgeline Energy
