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Wind power company says clock is ticking

Montana PSC will take up issue Tuesday

Just two things block the way for Montana Wind Harness’ plans of turning Montana
weather into energy: The state Public Service Commission and the wind itself.

By ROB CHANEY of the Missoulian

PSC hearings on Wind Harness’ share of the state’s default power supply contract
begin next Tuesday. The company’s leaders hope those resolve quickly, so they can
place their equipment orders before May.

"Time is an issue to us," Ameresco Energy Services Vice President Douglas Barba
said during a tour of the state last week. "We plan to bring in a 350-ton crane, and
we can’t work when the wind season starts in October. If it blows more than 12 mph,
we can’t lift."

Massachusetts-based Ameresco owns 99 percent of Wind Harness, with the
remainder controlled by Missoula businessman James Carkulis’s Exergy
Development company. Barba was looking at potential wind turbine sites and
explaining the company’s plans for fulfilling part of the state’s energy needs.

If all goes smoothly, the PSC will approve a plan to buy electricity from a collection
of suppliers before the end of the month. That includes Wind Harness’ commitment
to build 115 1.3-megawatt wind turbines on at least three sites along the Rocky
Mountain Front.

Barba said those land negotiations are in final phases, although he would not reveal
specific sites. The company would arrange financing in the third quarter of this year,
and begin preparing the ground this fall or early winter.

The towers themselves would arrive in spring and be finished before the windy
season starts in fall 2003. So a slow approval process this spring risks pushing the
tower-building into the dangerous wind time next year.

The Wind Harness towers would be about 300 feet tall, from the ground to the
highest point of the three-bladed propeller. They will be arrayed in groups of about 30
per site. Each turns at about 18 revolutions per minute, a rate designed to reduce
noise and danger to passing birds. If all 115 towers were turning full speed, they
would produce about 150 megawatts of electricity. But because the wind doesn’t
always blow, they are expected to regularly contribute about 50 megawatts. A
megawatt is enough electricity to power about 1,000 homes.

In the process of deregulating its activities, the Montana Power Co. put together a
default power portfolio designed to sell electricity to Montana customers who didn’t
seek their own, open-market supplier. At the same time, South Dakota-based
NorthWestern Corp. was finishing its purchase of MPC.

Part of the default supply portfolio was set aside for renewable energy sources, and
Wind Harness won that portion of the contract. Competitors complained that Wind
Harness’ bid came in late and got favorable treatment from MPC. They also raised
questions about Carkulis’ past, which includes several failed businesses and
allegations of fraud and deception.

Carkulis has acknowledged his involvement in some failed business ventures, and
pointed out that he has either reached settlements with his former partners or the
cases have been dismissed. Barba said he was not concerned.

"I’m not here to defend James and his background or his business past," Barba said.
"But I will defend Ameresco and Doug Barba. We are the controlling party. We will
raise the capital and develop the contracts. I was there when the negotiations were
taking place on the power sales agreement. (Carkulis) is helping us right now on
some development aspects of the project, and he’s involved in some land issues. We
have insulated the project from Exergy – that’s how Ameresco operates. But they
have been helpful, and we’re satisfied with his performance."

Reporter Rob Chaney can be reached at 523-5382 or at [email protected].

http://missoulian.com/archives/index.inn?loc=detail&doc=/2002/April/07-893-biz02.txt

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