Idaho Governor C.L. "Butch" Otter, executives of GE, and its partners recently came together to celebrate the start of construction of the state's largest wind power project. The wind power project stretches across 8 miles from the Oregon Trail westward across the continent.

Project investors GE Energy Financial Services, Reunion Power, Exergy Development Group and Atlantic Power Corp. signed a turbine blade in Bliss ushering in a wave of new jobs and economic development that the project will bring to the area.

The 183-megawatt, 122-turbine project comprises of 11 wind farms and is spread across 10,000 acres of active and inactive farmland in southern Idaho's Magic Valley.

Initiated by Exergy Development Group, the project is expected to create 175 construction jobs as well as permanent employment for operations and maintenance. The project is important from an environmental point of view as it is expected to produce enough power for 39,700 average Idaho homes while avoiding 331,000 short tons a year in greenhouse gas emissions.

Gov. Otter explained that they were looking to harness their natural resources for growth and to help the economy, by generating not only electricity but also jobs.

GE Energy Financial Services President and CEO Alex Urquhart said that they were happy with the new renewable energy project in Idaho, and that by the passage of federal clean energy legislation, investors and manufacturers such as GE will get the backing they need for the expansion of renewable energy throughout the country.

James Carkulis, president and CEO of Exergy, said that they had worked long and hard with their partners, including local landowners, contractors and suppliers, for this project over the last five years. He added that they were committed towards bringing the right kind of difference in the lives of the people who live in Idaho, and that they were honest and serious about their corporate responsibility, sensitivity to the local environment and promotion of traditional Idaho and community values.

Lisa Grow, Idaho Power's senior vice president of power supply, stated that they had started with hydroelectric power and, through diligent planning, had successfully expanded into the next generation of alternative energy sources from this new wind project to solar, geothermal and biomass.