>La Grande Observer | Union and Wallowa Counties' News Leader

standing tall for wind: Pictured above are a few of the 235-foot turbines already built at the Elkhorn Valley Wind Farm. As of Aug. 7, 12 turbines were complete; when the project goes online in December, 61 turbines will create 100 megawatts of electricity. ().

- Bill Rautenstrauch

The Observer

TELOCASET — If people didn't know it before, they know it now: Wind power has an important place in the future of Union County and the Pacific Northwest.

That was a message heard again and again Aug. 7 during the formal dedication of Horizon Wind Energy's Elkhorn Valley Wind Farm.

The 200 or so people invited to the event gathered for a barbecue and listened as Horizon officials and others talked about the project, which when completed will produce enough electricity for 25,000 homes, mostly in Idaho.

Among the speakers was U.S. Congressman Greg Walden, whose remarks were brief and touched with humor.

"These wind turbines are a great crop. You don't have to feed or water them. You just pick up the check," Walden, R-Oregon, said.

In a more serious vein he added, "It's really exciting when our investments start to bear fruit."

Chris Taylor, Horizon's director of project development, said the project wouldn't have been possible without the cooperation of Union County citizens and community leaders.

He had special words of praise for area farmers and ranchers who agreed to lease the land for the project.

"The landowners are our partners and very important. Without them we wouldn't have a wind farm," Taylor said.

One of those landowners, Barbara Tyler, said the wind farm is a boon to owners of mid-sized agricultural operations who need more than one way to pay their bills.

"The economics of farming is a challenge, and mid-sized farms are having a difficult time," she said. "We're visionaries. We're always looking for opportunities to stay on the land. I think we're a good marriage with the wind company."

Idaho Power Co. is buying all the electricity generated by the Elkhorn project. The utility was represented during the dedication by Jim Miller, senior vice president for power production.

Miller said Idaho Power, Idaho's largest investor-owned utility, will be drawing on a wide variety of power sources in the future, including hydroelectric dams, coal-fired generating stations and alternative resources including wind.

He said his company expects wind power to play an important role in meeting the needs of customers in the 21st century.

"We're looking to add renewable resources to our portfolio, and wind is an important piece of the puzzle. Wind counts for 12 percent now, and we're very proud of that fact," he said.

Armand Minthorn, a member of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation Board of Trustees, also spoke during the dedication ceremonies.

Minthorn said the project is located in a place where tribal ancestors traditionally gathered food.

Significant historic and archaeological sites are present, and preservation is vital, he said.

He said he is pleased with the care Horizon has taken with cultural resources.

"They worked with us and not against us in protecting the resources," he aid.

Minthorn said the Confederated Tribes support development of renewable resources and believe they will play an important role in the tribes' way of life.

"Our board members say renewable energy will grow and the dams (on the Columbia River) will be taken out," he said. "I probably will not live to see that, but it is true that renewable energy is growing by leaps and bounds."

Minthorn and others from the tribe offered a traditional prayer and song during the dedication.

Another speaker was Rick Winsor, Horizon's chief operations officer. Winsor said Union County, the cities of Union and North Powder, the Confederated Tribe and Idaho Power and others deserve thanks for their cooperation in the wind farm effort.

Construction of the 100-megawatt wind farm began in March and is expected to be complete by December.

On the day of the dedication, 150 workers were on-site. Horizon says that when construction peaks this month, 200 will be employed.

About 20 contractors, many of them local, are working on the project, which has a $150 million price tag.

The project is expected to yield big returns for Union County in the form of property taxes. Though an exact figure is not available, estimates say the wind farm will bring between $250,000 and $750,000 annually to county coffers.

The dedication event also included a tour of the wind farm and a close-up look at the 12 turbines already in place.

On the way out, Taylor said the turbines, made by Denmark-based Vestas, include components from a variety of countries including Spain, England, China and Japan.

"This really is a global effort," he said.

Components are shipped by truck from the Port of Vancouver to the construction site. Moving the huge turbines from the staging area at Telocaset to the pads on the ridges above has been difficult, Taylor said.

"The ridges are steep and the turbine blades are 130 feet long," he said. "One of the biggest challenges has been building these roads."

While the project is spread out over 10,000 acres, its footprint is only 150 acres, Taylor said. Turbine bases will take up about five acres, he added.

Taylor said the turbines will not be hooked up and turned on until all 61 are on-line in December.