Wind power is the fastest growing source of electrical generation in the world today. The Pacific Northwest has many sites that can provide the necessary average wind speeds of 13 mph or better. Grant County and surrounding areas look promising for wind power development.

Grant County PUD is one of eight public utility districts contracted for power from the Nine Canyon Wind Project. Energy Northwest operates 37 wind turbines on hills near Kennewick. Each 200-foot-tall turbine, with three 100-foot adjustable blades, has a generating capacity of 1.3 megawatts. An additional 12 turbines were being added to the site in late 2003. Then a total of 63 megawatts would be possible at peak operation – enough power to serve 16,000 people.

These large wind turbines begin generating electricity with wind speeds at 8 mph. They reach peak power generation at 35 mph. The turbines will automatically shutdown if sustained winds exceed 55 mph.

Washington State is the fifth largest producer of wind energy in the United States. The Nine Canyon Wind Project is the largest public power wind project in the nation.
Grant County PUD has a 25 percent share of this project, prompted by a desire to learn the technology.

In Grant County, the PUD is now testing likely wind power sites with anemometers at various elevations on single-pole towers. The test sites are near Wanapum Dam, Hartline, Monument, the Frenchman Hills, and near the Port of Mattawa. Additional test sites are planned. Wind records for these sites may be gathered for up to three years for proper evaluation.