Minnesota PUC Approves Site Permit for Mesa Power's Goodhue Wind Project
DALLAS, July 1, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Mesa Power Group said today it is pleased with a decision by the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission to grant a certificate of need and site permit for the Goodhue Wind Project. The decision paves the way for the development, construction and operation of a 78 megawatt wind farm in Goodhue County, Minnesota.
"This is an important milestone for our Minnesota project," said T. Boone Pickens, who founded Mesa Power Group to help lead the development of renewable energy projects as part of his comprehensive plan to enhance national energy security (The Pickens Plan). "Approval of the project underscores the fact that wind is an important part of America's future energy mix."
After almost two years of regulatory scrutiny that included a six-month contested case hearing before an administrative law judge, the PUC decision, which is contingent on additional siting requirements, allows the project to move forward with construction later this year. Commercial operation is planned to begin in 2012.
The project plans to deploy 78 megawatts of General Electric wind turbines. Construction and engineering will be led by the Minnesota firms of Carstensen Contractors, Inc. and Ryan Companies US, Inc., and local development is being carried out by Minneapolis-based National Wind LLC.
The Goodhue wind project will be key in helping Minnesota meet its long-term renewable energy goals while utilizing existing transmission infrastructure.
Mesa Power Group will continue to develop wind projects across North America and are excited about the potential for renewable energy in helping to create an energy policy reliant on domestic resources.
Expanding the role of renewables in power generation is one aspect of The Pickens Plan. The other aspect calls for expanding the use of domestic natural gas in transportation, as a fuel replacement for foreign oil/diesel/gasoline. That legislation, the NAT GAS Act (HR 1380), has more than 180 bipartisan cosponsors in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Contact: |
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Jay Rosser |
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214.265.4165 |
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SOURCE Mesa Power Group
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