Wind Turbine Farms Posted on Tuesday, February 04, 2003 @ 06:32:58 PST Topic: News Associated Press LOS ANGELES - City officials have pledged $162 million to build 80 wind turbines in the Mojave Desert in hopes they will produce energy for more than 100,000 homes. The turbines, each taller than a 15-story building, will be installed on about 22,000 acres on ridges 12 miles north of Mojave, north of Los Angeles. They are expected to be on line in about 18 months. City officials said the Pine Tree Wind Project is the first of several attempts to end the reliance on fossil fuels and use more of what is commonly known as "clean energy." "This project is really a win-win for everybody," Mayor James Hahn said. "It will reduce our cost of purchasing natural gas, eliminate over 200,000 tons of pollutants into the air here in Los Angeles and it really is a project that says to everybody that we believe in renewable energy. It works. It's efficient. It's reliable. And as long as the wind keeps blowing, the turbines will keep spinning." The city's Water and Power Board expects to vote on the plan Tuesday. The project also is subject to approval by the City Council. The project is part of the city's "Green Power" program, which was introduced four years ago. Since that time, an audit by the City Controller shows the Department of Water and Power has spent about $120 million to promote the project but had put little toward converting to green power. The Pine Tree project would nearly double the percentage of clean energy to about 4 percent. The plan comes during a budget crisis for Los Angeles, but Hahn said the city has the money to build the facility without raising rates for its energy customers.

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