Firm drops Colton wind farm plan

COLFAX - After investigating wind resources in the Colton area for the past several years, a major renewable energy firm has decided not to pursue a wind farm project there.

In a meeting with Whitman County commissioners Monday, Brian Walsh with Iberdrola Resources said the company has been measuring wind speeds near Colton since 2006 or 2007. It installed four meteorological towers west of U.S. Highway 95 and south of Colton, following the Snake River.

Based on that data, he said, the company has recently concluded the wind there "isn't of commercial grade."

"It blows, but not often or hard enough to justify the investment," said Walsh, a business developer based in Iberdrola's Portland, Ore., office.

Iberdrola Renewables is the second-largest wind farm operator in the United States. It owns about 40 projects nationwide, including 11 in Washington and Oregon. The company is a division of Iberdrola S.A., Spain's largest energy firm and the fourth-largest utility in the world.

Walsh said the company is still looking at other parts of Whitman County, but it doesn't have any other meteorological towers currently in place. Energy firms typically collect wind data for at least a year or two before deciding whether to proceed with a project.

Walsh and John Audley, deputy director of the Renewable Northwest Project, encouraged the commissioners to monitor efforts to weaken or do away with Washington's renewable portfolio standard (RPS), which mandates that utilities supply 15 percent of their energy needs from renewable sources by 2020.

"If there's no RPS, there's no market for renewable energy," Walsh said.

Audley gave the commissioners a chart highlighting the job creation and tax revenue potential of wind farm projects in Washington. It indicated that more than 3,200 construction jobs have been created statewide, with more than $40 million in cumulative property taxes paid. Wind farms also provide a second source of income for the farmers and ranchers who lease land to the developers, he said.

"If counties want to see these kinds of economic opportunities, a market for renewable power must exist," Audley said. "The RPS helps create that market."

Commissioner Michael Largent wondered if forcing utilities to buy higher-priced wind or solar power would have a negative effect on ratepayers.

"Is that revenue stream (to the farmers and ranchers) coming at someone else's expense?" he asked. "Are we shifting revenue from the ratepayers to the landowners?"

Audley said wind energy is cost-competitive with natural gas, if you look at new generation capacity. He also said tax credits provided to renewable energy developers are only about a tenth what the fossil fuel industry receives.

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Spence may be contacted at

bspence@lmtribune.com or (208) 791-9168.