Area Development
General Electric Company (GE) will supply wind turbines and related services for an Oregon wind farm under a contract worth $1.4 billion, according to the Associated Press (AP). Caithness Energy has ordered 338 of GE's 2.5xl wind turbines for the 845-megawatt Shepherds Flat project, which is expected to become the largest wind farm in the world. Preliminary construction is set to begin in 2010 and the turbines will be installed between 2011 and 2012; AP says the project will employ 400 temporary construction workers and 35 full-time employees when operations begin. In addition to the turbines, GE will supply 10 years of operational and maintenance services. Under three 20-year purchase agreements, the Shepherds Flat wind farm will supply renewable energy to Southern California Edison, providing enough energy to power about 235,000 households in California and avoiding the production of more than 1.5 million tons of greenhouse gas per year.