[jtk1519]

Scurry can boast of tallest wind turbines in U.S.
Reporter-News Staff Report
Thursday, January 10, 2008

The Big Country is home to the world's largest wind farm. Now it can boast tallest wind turbines in the United States.

Enel North America Inc. announced Thursday the completion of the Snyder Wind project with the tallest utility-scale wind turbines in the United States.

The Snyder Wind project in Scurry County, about 80 miles northwest of Abilene, has 21 3.0 megawatt wind turbines mounted on towers measuring 345 feet. Other wind farms in the area have towers that are about 200 feet tall.

The Snyder Wind project has a capacity of 63 megawatts. By comparison, the Horse Hollow Wind Energy Center, southwest of Abilene, has a 735-megawatt capacity. Horse Hollow is the world's largest wind farm.

Construction was completed on the Snyder Wind project last month, the company announced in a news release.

"The Snyder project takes both wind and Enel to new heights," said Toni Volpe, Enel North America chief executive officer. "The project represents the first of several wind farms slated to come online in the next 12 months, which will more than triple Enel North America's wind capacity by the end of 2008."

The Snyder project -- where the turbine towers are so tall because wind conditions are best at that height -- will produce energy sufficient to power more than 12,000 average Texas homes annually. Snyder Wind will be operated and maintained by Enel North America Inc. Power will be sold into the Electric Reliability Council of Texas.

Snyder and Fortis Energy Marketing & Trading, a division of Fortis Merchant Banking, have entered into an approximately 1.1 million megawatt-hour, 10-year fixed-price hedge agreement that will provide revenue stability and accommodate seasonal winds.

Enel purchased the interest and rights to Snyder in October 2006 from Windkraft Nord USA Inc. As the turn-key developer of the project, Windkraft procured the turbines and remained involved in Snyder as the construction manager.

http://reporternews.com/news/2008/ja...urbines-in-us/