River Cities Business Journal: Construction

Kingman Daily Miner

KINGMAN - Construction of the area's first wind farm is set for October, planting 15 200-foot turbines at a site behind the Nucor Steel plant.

Rezoning approval by the County Board of Supervisors put the plan in motion, allowing Verde Resources, an agent with Western Wind Energy Corporation, to erect the wind turbines with 125-foot blades, project coordinator Mike Boyd said via e-mail on July 11.

The 15 turbines are estimated to produce 15 megawatts of energy, enough to power 7,500 homes. APS entered an agreement with Western Wind Energy to buy all 15 megawatts that will go into the energy grid to service their customers, Boyd said.

Boyd said construction begins the last week of October, and erecting the turbines, built by the Mitsubishi Corporation, should take about a month.

The site is located approximately 1-1/2 miles east of the McConnico/Interstate 40 interchange.

Boyd said in an earlier report that site selection factored on available transmission capacity and a commercially viable wind resource, favorable zoning policy, no cultural or environmental impediments, as well as regulatory, political support and incentives.

Few residents would see the turbines, he added.

The county Planning and Zoning Department initially recommended postponing the rezoning request for more public input, but the zoning commissioners agreed that there was enough exposure of the proposal that property owners would have objected to the proposal by then.

Boyd said the project would benefit the local economy by an estimated $5-$10 million through local services like equipment rental, food, lodging, hardware and material purchases, and generate $150,000 in property taxes.