Washington State Supreme Court Upholds EFSEC Permit for Kittitas Valley Wind Power Project

Friday, Nov 21, 2008

ELLENSBURG, Wash., Nov. 20 /PRNewswire/ -- Horizon Wind Energy (Horizon), owned by EDP Renovaveis, the fourth largest wind energy producer in the world, applauded the Washington State Supreme Court's unanimous ruling to uphold the Kittitas Valley Wind Power Project's (KVWPP) Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council (EFSEC) Permit previously signed by Governor Christine Gregoire.

The Kittitas Valley Wind Power Project will be located to the east and west of Highway 97 approximately 12 miles northwest of Ellensburg in Kittitas County, Washington. The site was chosen for its abundant wind resource and multiple high-voltage transmission lines. The project is permitted for up to 65 Wind Turbine Generators (WTGs) and has a proposed installed capacity of approximately 100 MWs, which equates to clean renewable power for approximately 30,000 average Washington homes each year. The project will also yield significant economic benefits to the community in the form of property taxes, payments to landowners, well-paying permanent jobs, local spending and other community investments.

"Today's unanimous Supreme Court ruling is significant for Horizon Wind Energy and for Washington citizens. The Court, in upholding the authority of the Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council (EFSEC), affirms that much-needed power projects that pass the State's rigorous review will be built and that Washington State's goal of developing new renewable energy can truly be achieved," said Gabriel Alonso, Chief Operating Officer, Horizon Wind Energy.

In March of last year, Washington's "one stop" permitting agency, EFSEC, recommended that the Governor approve KVWPP and exert State authority to override Kittitas County's opposition to the project. The Governor's approval confirmed that EFSEC, in conducting its rigorous review of the Project, successfully balanced Washington's need for clean and affordable energy with substantive mitigations that address local concerns.

"This Project is the most thoroughly studied wind farm project in the Northwest, and EFSEC's coordination with local, state and federal agencies has produced a renewable energy resource that Northwest consumers can be confident in. All of us who have worked on the Kittitas Valley Wind Power Project are grateful to the hundreds of Kittitas County citizens who supported it over the years," said Arlo Corwin, Horizon's Development Director for the Northwest Region.

Source: PR Newswire