Country’s largest wind farm gets green light
Two Swiss energy companies will erect 40 wind turbines at a cost of SFr240 million ($221 million) in the Jura region, between Lake Neuchâtel and the Val-de-Travers.
The joint project between Romande Energie and the city of Zurich’s power utility will be the country’s largest wind farm.
From 2013 on, it is expected to produce 160 million kilowatt hours (KwH) per year – roughly as much as 45,000 households consume annually.
The turbines will be placed on one of many sites identified in a 2004 Federal Energy Office report as being ideal for wind farms.
The world’s largest planned wind farm, off the coast of Britain, will include 341 turbines and serve 750,000 homes. It was approved in 2006.
Romande Energie will take on a 60 per cent stake and Zurich will own 40 per cent of the Swiss project.
It will be Romande Energie’s second wind farm. The utility is also behind plans to create the largest solar power station in Switzerland.
French speaking Switzerland’s largest energy supplier wants to produce 250-300 KwH of electricity through renewable sources by 2020-25.
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