Construction of the first commercial wind project in Arizona is going to commence in 2009 with the expected completion date December of the same year.

Owners of the project, renewable energy giant Iberdrola Renewables will be bringing 63MW of electricity on-line as part of Phase I of the project which will include around 30 wind turbines.

Adding more good news to the project today was the announcement that 100% of the power that will be produced from the project has been sold to Salt River Project (SRP) for the next 20 years. This secures the financial viability of the project which will be built about 18 miles northwest of Snowflake.

SRP has the option to buy additional power from the Dry Lake Wind Project if Iberdrola decides to expand the site within three years of the execution of this agreement.

The electricity produced by the first phase of the wind project will serve 15,000 homes and the construction of the project will provide construction and engineering jobs for 100 workers for approximately 12 months. When the construction is completed and Dry Lake is in operation, a full-time permanent operations and maintenance staff will be employed.

Arizona Corporation Commissioner Kris Mayes, who has been critical of SRP as well as Arizona Public Service for using out-of-state renewable electrical power, praised SRP’s decision to purchase the first wind-driven energy produced in the Grand Canyon State.

“This project proves that there is big wind to be tapped in northern Arizona,” said Mayes. “The development of this in-state project will bring with it good jobs, additional revenue and clean energy to Navajo County.”

Both the Arizona Corporation Commission and the state legislature have encouraged the development of renewable energy sources, including wind projects, in Arizona. Arizona utilities are required by the ACC to produce or procure 15 percent of their total electricity sales from renewable sources by 2025 – including wind, solar, biomass, biogas and landfill gas. By the year 2020, experts predict that, if the utilities comply, an estimated 92 billion pounds of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, will be prevented from entering the atmosphere.