Avista will purchase power generated by the proposed Palouse wind project in Whitman County, Wash.
The project, which is being developed by First Wind, will provide Avista with approximately 40 average MW of renewable energy, or as much as 100 MW of nameplate wind capacity, under a 30-year power purchase agreement (PPA), with deliveries beginning in 2012.
The energy qualifies under Washington State's Energy Independence Act to meet Avista's state-mandated renewable portfolio standard requirements. Avista expects to recover the cost of the power purchased through retail rates.
The wind farm is located on private land between the town of Oakesdale and State Route 195 and will tie into Avista's electric system via the utility's Benewah-Shawnee transmission line.
