US Department of Interior approves 500MW wind project in Arizona

US Department of the Interior has approved the 500MW wind energy project being developed by BP Wind Energy North America in the state of Arizona.

The approval is in line with US President Barack Obama’s strategy to narrow down carbon emission by granting consent to 10GW of renewable energy projects alongside pre-decided 10GW of projects on federal lands by 2020.

The Mohave County wind farm located on Federal lands near 40 miles northwest of Kingman will feature 243 wind turbines generating enough power to cater to needs of 175,000 houses.

BP has been granted approval to use 35,000 acres of Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land and 2,800 acres of Bureau of Reclamation land.

The project is expected to create 750 jobs through construction and operations.

Commenting on the developments, Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell remarked that the Mohave County wind project demonstrates that in efforts to reduce carbon pollution, one can create jobs, besides becoming independent of oil imports.

"These are exactly the kind of responsible steps that we need to take to expand homegrown, clean energy on our public lands and cut carbon pollution that affects public health," said Jewell.

US department, however, has imposed few conditions, including ban on installation of turbines within designated sensitive areas and provides a 1.2-mile buffer zone to protect the nests.

BP, in addition, is expected to undertake significant mitigation efforts to minimise impacts to wildlife and other resources, including reducing the project’s footprint by about 20% from the original proposal, according to a statement.

With Mohave wind farm, US Department of Interior has approved 46 wind, solar and geothermal utility-scale projects on public lands since 2009.