Business, Government Legal News from throughout WVPinnacle Wind Farm at NewPage commissioned in Mineral County

Pinnacle Wind Farm at NewPage commissioned in Mineral County

Edison Mission Group of Santa Ana, Calif. announced Jan. 23 its commissioning of the Pinnacle Wind Farm at NewPage, located south of Keyser in Mineral County.

The 23-turbine wind farm has a nameplate generating capacity of 55.2 megawatts and can generate enough electricity to meet the needs of nearly 12,000 homes at average West Virginia residential electricity use of about 1,200 kilowatt-hours/month.

The energy, however, will be sold in Maryland. The project sells two-thirds of its output to the Maryland Department of General Services and one-third to the University of Maryland system through power purchase agreements.

Pinnacle is the second project to begin commercial operation under the Generating Clean Horizons program of the Maryland Energy Administration.

"Investments in clean, renewable energy move us closer to reaching our goal of 20 percent of renewable energy by 2022," said MEA Director Malcolm Woolf. "Diversifying Maryland's energy portfolio to include renewable energy resources like wind will project us to lead in renewable energy generation and policy."

Through the Generating Clean Horizons program, the state and university system of Maryland have committed to purchase 78 megawatts of energy produced from two wind farms and one solar installation over 20 years. According to the MEA, Generating Clean Horizons powers 16 percent of the state's electricity demand through renewable sources.

The Pinnacle facility represents a capital investment of $131 million, according to a presentation by project co-developer U.S. Wind Force of Greensburg, Pa. at the West Virginia Governor's Energy Summit in December, and supports nine permanent employees.

It will pay an estimated $433,000 each year in property taxes and more than $500,000 in taxes to the state.

In addition, operator Pinnacle Wind Force established a community development fund into which it will pay $50,000 this first year of commercial operation as well as $10,000 earmarked for historic preservation, and $20,000 annually starting in year two for the life of the project. Funding decisions will be made by a local allocation committee.

Pinnacle Wind Farm at NewPage is the West Virginia's fifth utility-scale wind generation facility to come online, bringing total nameplate capacity in the state to 584 megawatts.