Gregoire approves Kittitas Co. wind project

OLYMPIA, Wash. -- Gov. Chris Gregoire has approved the Desert Claim wind project in Kittitas County, eight miles north of Ellensburg.

Gregoire acted on a recommendation from a state energy facility siting council.

Desert Claim, which becomes the fourth wind farm approved in Kittitas County, will have a capacity of 95 turbines across 5,200 acres. The wind farm will have a capacity of 190 megawatts, enough power for 57,000 homes.

Officials of EnXco, a French firm that is developing the project, said construction will start this summer.

The firm anticipates the project will create 282 jobs and $33 million in total economic activity during construction.

Once in operation, the wind farm will have 36 jobs.

The siting agency, the Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council, made its recommendation to Gregoire in November.

The agency, created to provide one-stop licensing for major energy projects, assumed jurisdiction over the project after Kittitas County rejected the application.

The county ultimately withdrew its objections to the project.

EnXco modified the project to reduce the number of turbines and the impacts on nearby landowners.

Other approved wind farms in the county include Wild Horse and the Vantage wind farm, both along Interstate 90, east of Ellensburg.

The third previously approved wind farm is the Kittitas Valley wind farm.