Wind Energy Project Coming To Southwest Kansas

Phase one of a multi-million dollar wind energy project that is expected to provide a boost to three southwest Kansas counties is picking up speed.
Lenexa-based TradeWind Energy has reached a purchase agreement with Alabama Power Co. to provide low-cost energy to Alabama, the company announced Wednesday.
Known as the Buffalo Dunes Wind Project, construction will take place across about 42,000 acres in Grant, Haskell and Finney counties. The purchase agreement was approved by the Alabama Public Service Commission on Sept. 17, according to a release from TradeWind.
The first phase of the project allows flexibility for construction of a wind project between 200 and 300 megawatts, the release said.
Company officials have been working for at least three years to secure long-term leases for about 40,000 acres of land with private landowners in parts of northeast Grant County and northwest Haskell County, where 100 to 200 wind turbines are to be placed.
An estimated 150 new jobs will be created during the construction phase of the project, with the fully operational project requiring about 15 new full-time workers. Commercial operation is anticipated by December 2013, according to the release.