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BEAVER, Utah (AP) -- A Massachusetts company will generate electricity at a $400 million wind farm in southwestern Utah.
"The Milford Valley creates a funnel effect that produces a great wind resource," said Krista Kisch, business development director at UPC Wind Management LLC of Newton, Mass.
The first phase of the 16,000-acre project will require 80 towers that will generate 320 megawatts of power, enough to supply about 60,000 homes.
Beaver County's planning commission voted unanimously last week to grant a permit to UPC Wind. The first phase could employ up to 100 people.
The company also has plans to generate an additional 80 megawatts on land that includes a sliver of Millard County, about 200 miles south of Salt Lake City.
The power will flow 90 miles north to a substation near Delta.
Dave Cowan, the company's vice president for environmental affairs, said wind is competitive with fossil fuels in a volatile energy market.
UPC Wind, which has a 30-megawatt farm in Hawaii, will sell its power to different utilities, including Rocky Mountain Power.
Rocky Mountain buys electricity from wind farms in Wyoming and one on the Oregon-Washington state line, utility spokeswoman Margaret Oler said.
The utility allows customers to buy electricity from renewable sources, adding $2 a month to bills to pursue those sources.
The wind project likely will bring a windfall to Beaver County, raising $1 million a year in taxes and royalties, said Brian Harris, county administrative assistant.
Business professors at Utah State University recently reported how wind farms could provide an additional source of income for farmers and ranchers while still allowing them to raise crops and livestock.
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Information from: The Salt Lake Tribune, http://www.sltrib.com
(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
