UMA Member in the News

First Wind Welcomes Interior Secretary Salazar

by PR or News Wire
28 April 2010-

First Wind, an independent U.S.-based wind energy company, hosted U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar at the company's Utah-based 204 MW Milford Wind Corridor project.

Secretary Salazar and members of the Department of Interior were given an in-depth tour and insight into the inner workings of Utah's largest wind project.

Located in Millard and Beaver counties, the Milford Wind Corridor project had the significance of being the first wind energy facility permitted under the U.S. Department of Interior's Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Wind Energy Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for Western US states. Featuring 97 wind turbines, the 204 MW first phase of the project began commercial operation in November 2009, only a year after breaking ground. To date, the project has created more than 250 development and construction jobs, and resulted in more than $85 million in economic benefits to Utah.

"We are honored to have Secretary Salazar visit our Milford Wind project, which is not only the largest wind project in the state of Utah, but also the largest project that First Wind has undertaken to date," said Paul Gaynor, CEO of First Wind. "This project was made possible through the tremendous support from numerous parties including the Department of the Interior and the BLM along with state and local officials and the people of Millard and Beaver counties. It is for this reason that it is very gratifying to provide the Secretary and his staff a first-hand look at this very successful renewable energy project."

The first phase of the Milford Wind Corridor has the capacity to generate clean, renewable energy to power about 45,000 homes per year. Power from the project is being purchased by the Southern California Public Power Authority (SCPPA), on behalf of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) and the cities of Burbank and Pasadena.