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Wise County 'wind farm' meeting set for Tuesday

Published March 21st, 2009 | 1 Comments

APPALACHIA — The first of two informational sessions for the public involving a potential wind energy facility in Wise County will be held from 3 to 6 p.m. Tuesday at the Appalachia Community Center on 142 Cold Spring Drive.

A second public meeting hosted by the potential “wind farm” developers will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, April 2, at Mountain Empire Community College’s Goodloe Center.

Dominion Virginia Power, the eastern Virginia utility currently building a coal-fired power plant in St. Paul, and BP Wind Energy are exploring potential “wind farm” sites in the western sector of Wise County and in Tazewell County.

Nearly a year ago, Dominion and the British Petroleum subsidiary agreed to jointly develop, own and operate wind energy projects in Virginia. The assessment of potential sites in Wise and Tazewell counties marks the first effort by the partners in Virginia to at least explore the possibility. Both are partners in 650 megawatts of the 750-megawatt Fowler Ridge Wind Farm in Benton County, Ind.

In Wise County, Dominion and BP Wind Energy are assessing multiple sites north of Appalachia and Big Stone Gap for their potential as viable wind farms. Utility-scale commercial wind farms feature wind turbines that range from 380 feet high — from base to tip of a blade — to 460 feet. A windmill turbine can generate between 1.5 megawatts to 2.5 megawatts of non-base-load electricity.

BP Wind Energy spokesman Tom Mueller said Friday the analysis of the potential of wind energy projects being located in either Wise or Tazewell counties, or both, is still under way.

“It can take up to five years to get a project like these developed, and we’re in the early stages of development. Sort of ‘stay tuned’ and we will understand what the wind generation capacity is for these two counties,” he said.

In February, Dominion Chairman, President and CEO Thomas F. Farrell II said the ongoing assessment in Wise and Tazewell counties “is a small but important step for Virginia’s nascent wind industry, an industry whose roots must grow stronger if the state is to achieve its renewable energy goals. Dominion is committed to increasing renewable generating capacity, and these projects would move us closer to fulfilling that commitment.”

Last summer, Dominion began construction of a $1.8 billion 585-megawatt coal-fired power plant at the Virginia City site in Wise County the utility plans to have operational by 2012. Environmental groups have recently argued against that project in the Virginia Supreme Court.

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We don't have years, this can be done faster and will create jobs in Wise County. We should be looking at solar too, our mountains, streams and waterways are gone already, stop the devistation. There are less jobs in the coal industry than ever, this should be one of those shovel ready projects.

Google : wisecountyissues

See the new and improved coal industry at work.

Tim Mullins | 3/22/2009 - 2:47 PM - ( Comment

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