The biggest wind farm in Nebraska’s is set to be operating commercially in the first few months of 2009by the first quarter of 2009, officials say.
This story from the Columbus (NE) Telegram says Elkhorn Ridge developers are finishing up testing of the wind turbines that are located near Bloomfield in north-central Nebraska:
Columbus-based Nebraska Public Power District has signed a 20-year agreement with Midwest Wind Energy, a private developer, to buy 80 megawatts of electricity from the $140 million wind farm.
Officials say the partnership is the first of its kind in Nebraska, a public power state. As a Community Based Energy Development or C-BED project, Nebraska residents will own 33 percent of Elkhorn Ridge…
When Elkhorn Ridge is completed, the 27 turbines will dwarf any others in Nebraska. Each can produce 3 megawatts of electricity, enough to power 250 to 300 homes. The project can serve about 25,000 residences annually.
By comparison, the two wind turbines operated by Lincoln Electric System north of Lincoln have a combined generation capacity of 1.2 megawatts.
Several other utilities in the state will get power from the wind farm.