Montana Officials Approve $400 Million Wind Farm Project

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — An Oregon-based company has received approval to build a 114-turbine wind farm in Montana that would generate enough electricity to power more than 76,000 homes a year.
The Billings Gazette reports that Carbon County commissioners approved PacifiCorp's $406 million project last week. Construction is expected to begin this fall.
The Berskshire Hathaway Energy subsidiary bought the Pryor Mountain Wind Project south of Billings in May.
PacifiCorp aims to complete the wind farm in 2020 to qualify for a federal tax break. It will connect to a 230-kilovolt transmission line in Park County, Wyoming.
The turbines will be built on private land adjacent to an area the U.S. Bureau of Land Management says is priority habitat for sage grouse.
Wildlife officials say about 500,000 birds die each year from turbine collisions.
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Information from: The Billings Gazette