Area Development
Duke Energy will expand its wind power business into Colorado by building a wind farm near the city of Burlington in the eastern part of the state. A company statement says the Kit Carson Windpower Project -- named for both the legendary frontiersman and the county in which the project will be located -- will be located on approximately 6,000 acres of leased land and will consist of 34 GE wind turbines, each capable of generating 1.5 megawatts of electricity. Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association -- an electric power supplier comprised of 44 electric cooperatives in Colorado, Nebraska, New Mexico, and Wyoming -- has entered into a 20-year contract with Duke Energy to purchase the electricity produced at the new wind farm. "We're proud to be partnering with Duke Energy on our first utility-scale wind power project," says Ken Anderson, Tri-State's executive vice president and general manager. "The project will further diversify our resource mix, bring value to our member cooperatives, and support jobs and investment in the rural areas our members serve." The Kit Carson project is expected to enter commercial operation by the end of next year.