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Montana state energy company seeks OK for wind farm
A Montana wind energy firm plans to establish the state’s first "utility grade" wind farm near Hagerman by the end of the year. But the company’s plans first must be approved by the Twin Falls County Planning and Zoning Commission.
Knight Ridder News
Helena, Mont.-based Exergy Development Group plans to build the Fossil Gulch Wind Park on 416 acres northwest of Hagerman near the intersection of 5900 North and 500 East, according to a proposal filed with the planning and zoning commission.
The park would consist of seven 388-foot-tall, 1.5-megawatt wind turbines, each with a rotor diameter of about 253 feet, said Exergy President James Carkulis. He estimated the project’s total value at more than $10 million.
The project would create 16 to 20 jobs during construction, Carkulis said.
He said the wind turbines would have the capacity to produce about 28,000 megawatt-hours of electricity per year, which would be sold under a contract with Idaho Power Co.
That contract, which has not yet been drafted, would have to be approved by the Idaho Public Utilities Commission under terms of the Public Utilities Regulatory Policies Act, said Idaho Power spokesman Dennis Lopez. The act requires utilities to buy energy from qualifying small power producers that generate power from sources other than fossil fuels.
Exergy is working on a lease agreement with David Bloxham of Gooding, who owns the property, Carkulis said. Bloxham could not be reached Wednesday for comment.
But first, the company must convince the Twin Falls County Planning and Zoning Commission to grant a conditional use permit for the project. The land in question is considered an Agricultural Range Preservation (ARP) zone.
ARP zones are meant to protect nonirrigated, high desert areas of Twin Falls County by restricting construction to agricultural use only, said Planning and Zoning Director Bill Crafton.
Conditional-use permits can be granted for nonagricultural projects if the plans will not have an adverse affect on the land, Crafton said. Carkulis said Exergy has completed a preliminary avian study of the area that showed the proposed area as a "site of very low impact." Exergy operates wind farms in three states, including a 9-megawatt facility near Great Falls, Mont. Idaho Power has applied to purchase electricity from that facility, Lopez said.
Carkulis said he doubts the Fossil Gulch project will draw public outcry similar to a proposed wind farm southwest of Burley, but he said the company wants to hear comments from concerned residents.
Boise-based Windland Inc. is seeking permission to place between 80 and 100 wind turbines along the ridge of the Cotterel Mountains. The plan drew both outrage and support from locals. Since the project is proposed to be built on public lands, the decision is ultimately up to the Bureau of Land Management, which is working on an environmental impact study planned to be made public this fall.
At the Hagerman project, meanwhile, Exergy leaders hope to deal with any neighbors’ concerns early on.
"We usually confront these things head-on," Carkulis said.
The county zoning commission will hold a public hearing on the Fossil Gulch wind farm at 7 p.m. Sept. 9 at 246 Third Ave. E. in Twin Falls. Public comment letters will be accepted at that address through Sept. 2.
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