El Paso County (CO) wind farm project's new owner eyes springs 2015 construction start

http://gazette.com/el-paso-county-wind-farm-projects-new-owner-eyes-springs-2015-construction-start/article/1521303



El Paso County wind farm project's new owner eyes springs 2015 construction start
By Wayne Heilman Updated: June 11, 2014 at 5:20 pm

Florida-based NextEra Energy Inc., the nation's largest producer of renewable energy, has acquired the proposed Golden West wind farm in northeast El Paso County, with plans to begin construction next spring and start generating power by the end of 2015.

The purchase is part of a major expansion in Colorado by the $15.1 billion company, which operates five wind farms near Limon and in Logan County in northeast Colorado. Together, they generate 975 megawatts of power, or just 100 megawatts less than the total generating capacity of Colorado Springs Utilities.

The company is building a third wind farm near Limon that will generate 200 megawatts of power by year's end, and is planning a wind farm near Burlington that would generate 150 megawatts.

NextEra bought the Golden West project from Fowler Wind Energy of Moline, Ill. about six months ago. The purchase includes leases with about 100 landowners for up to 153 wind turbine tower locations and the corridor for a 25-mile transmission line to connect the wind farm with the power grid.