33 more turbines slated for Judith Gap Wind Farm in Montana

Thirty-three more wind turbines will be added at the Judith Gap Wind Farm within the next two years bringing the total to 121.

That’s according to Aaron Jones, development manager for Invenergy, the Chicago-based firm which owns the Judith Gap Wind Farm.

"The only thing holding up the project is sale of the 52 1/2 megawatts the additional generators would produce. So far, Invenergy has not sold the energy," said Jones, who is headquartered in Conrad.

About a month and a half ago, NorthWestern Energy, which buys the 135 megawatts from the existing 88 turbines, indicated they want 150 more megawatts of wind power. But they did not say when they would actually buy it, Jones said.

"They have to be willing to buy it. They have indicated they may be interested in the future," said Jones.
Other possible buyers include the Western Area Power Association, the Bonneville Power Administration, utilities or anyone needing power in Montana or in states surrounding Montana. Cost of transmission is too great for the power to be sold far beyond Montana’s borders, Jones said.

Once a buyer is found for the power, the project can move forward quickly because it is an expansion of an existing facility. Originally, the Judith Gap Wind Farm was to be considerably larger but was scaled back when it became uncertain whether NorthWestern could handle so much wind power, Jones said.

All the permits and property are in place to build the 33 wind towers. In anticipation of moving ahead at Judith Gap and at other wind projects nationwide, Invenergy has begun buying the hardware. They bought 600 megawatts of wind turbine equipment for 2007. They will purchase 700 megawatts in 2008 and 800 megawatts in 2009.

The equipment will arrive in stages and will be ready to put up when the project is ready, he said.
"Construction could begin in six months or it could be a year and a half before we start. It is not easy to predict without a buyer," said Jones.

As far as the Judith Gap area is concerned, Invenergy is happy with the amount of wind, Jones said. He echoed recent comments of John Bacon, Wind Farm operations manager, who said the Judith Gap Wind Farm is one of the best producers in the country.

"We had a very good year last year. We had a 41-percent capacity factor at Judith Gap and we consider that very good," said Jones. The Wind Farm began operation in January of last year.

Jones, a Conrad native, said he currently operates out of his home in Conrad. In six or seven months, he said, he expects to move to an office, possibly in Great Falls.

Recently hired as Invenergy’s development manager, Jones would not disclose much about another project his company is working on north of Great Falls. He said only that the project is associated with the Montana-Alberta Tie Line which will be going through that area.

"We won’t be releasing information on it for quite a while," said Jones.

But Jones said he wants to hear from landowners who are interested in wind energy projects. He said landowners get in touch with him from all over Montana to discuss the possible location of a wind energy project on their property.

"If there’s wind there, we are interested," said Jones.

He added that the public’s favorable response to the Judith Gap Wind Farm likely was largely responsible for Invenergy hiring him to develop projects in Montana. He said the favorable response has encouraged Invenergy to look elsewhere in Montana to establish energy projects.

by JIM DULLENTY
News-Argus Staff Writer

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