Earth Protect Blog

Renewable energy pioneer Cannon Power Group, based in Del Mar Heights, announced Wednesday it was awarded a cash grant from the Department of Treasury through the American Recovery and Reimbursement Act to enable the further build-out of the Windy Point/Windy Flats project in rural Klickitat County, Washington.

"This grant constitutes a significant recognition of the increasingly important role renewable energy development has for our country - not only in terms of producing clean, safe and domestic energy for our citizens, but the enormous economic impact and jobs it provides for our local communities," said Washington State Governor Christine Gregoire.

The Windy Flats portion will produce more than 350-megawatts of the more than 500-MW project. Cannon reports that the expansion will add more than 250 additional jobs and will provide more than $32 million in overall community and state benefits over the life of the project. This is in addition to the more than 350 jobs and $145 million in overall economic benefits created by the 400 MW that Cannon has installed to date in its Klickitat County project. More than 75 percent of the project's workforce comes from the Klickitat County region.

Windy Point/Windy Flats represents one of the largest wind farms in the nation, will produce enough clean electricity for over 250,000 households per year and will displace more than 800 metric tons of carbon dioxide annually. The $200 million cash grant will go towards the purchase of wind turbines and other project costs. The total investment of the project to date is over $1 billion.

"I applaud President Obama for his vision and leadership, and I am proud that the state of Washington is home to a project that is helping spur billions of dollars in private 'green' investment and creating thousands of jobs," Gregoire continued.