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BEAVER COUNTY -- Utah's biggest wind farm project is back on track following a sudden replacement of the general contractor. Business owners in the Milford area hope the green light means the quarter-billion dollar project will start generating more jobs for the local economy.
The project is mostly horizontal now, but in coming months it'll go vertical, with enormous windmills topping out at 400 feet. "There's going to be, I think, 97 towers," said Rob Adams, Beaver County's economic development director.
Beaver County officials are enthused about the economic infusion from the $250 million wind farm. "This project is very important to us. We're absolutely thrilled that it's here," Adams said.
When the project started a few months ago, some local companies got temporary contracts, but the project stalled in recent weeks. Two contractors told us privately they're unhappy with how little local hiring the out-of-state company did.
"It's been a disappointment for some contractors on certain projects that were let out," Adams said.
Richard Henrie, of Henrie Earth Moving Inc., said, "I'm sure there's been some disappointment in some of the folks in the county, but those are pretty specialized jobs out there and folks have got to know what they're doing."
As one local businessman put it, things are in a bit of an uproar right now because the general contractor has been suddenly replaced, and no one is sure how the job situation is going to shake out.
Local business people say they were told the project ran into financing troubles and new lenders insisted on a new general contractor. "There may have been a bump in the road, but I don't think it's a severe bump, certainly hope not," Adams said.
A spokesman for the First Wind Energy company told us the contractor replacement was unrelated to financing. He acknowledged that financing issues have caused delays, but now that there's a green light for construction he predicted about 100 temporary jobs for Utahns and at least $30 million in spending for Utah.
Under a new state law, future alternative energy projects will be required to hire and spend locally before the project can qualify for state tax incentives.
If all goes smoothly, the wind farm will begin generating electricity about a year from now. It will employ about a dozen workers permanently. Most of the electricity will go to Los Angeles.
E-mail: jhollenhorst@ksl.com
