Nov 17 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - Cyndy Cole The Arizona Daily Sun, Flagstaff

A San Diego company that owns Southern California utilities is considering building a wind energy park on the western Navajo Nation, near Cameron, and has been in talks with chapter officials there.

Sempra Energy has five wind-testing meters installed on Gray Mountain, to study the wind there.

"Gray Mountain is a particularly good site and has some of the best wind resources in Arizona," said company spokesman Hanan Eisenman.

The company has made no commitments, signed no contracts, and has no definite plans or deadlines, Eisenman said.

It received approvals from the Cameron Chapter in the form of a supportive resolution in April.

If the company does move ahead, the project could be large enough to supply power for as many as 150,000 households, at 250 to 500 megawatts.

There's no word yet on what the chapter, the tribe or individual households without electricity would receive in exchange for leasing the land for wind turbines, but word is that the tribe initially asked for about half of any revenues produced.

"We are still in the preliminary discussion stages of the project right now and no decisions have been made," Eisenman said.

The company is one of at least two businesses courting the Navajo Nation for potential renewable energy sites, while another seeks to build a coal-fired power plant in the Four Corners area.

Arizona's first large-scale wind development was recently approved for construction northwest of Snowflake.

Other projects are stalled. A long-discussed biomass plant to burn tree branches from forest thinning, and other debris, and power Northern Arizona University, is not anywhere near construction.

A proposal to put industrial-sized wind turbines along Interstate 40 east of Flagstaff (near Meteor Crater) is again without a signed agreement for now, as Arizona utilities have been buying power out of state.

Meanwhile, Coconino County, the city of Flagstaff and individual businesses have made their own plans to purchase or promote renewable energy on a smaller scale.

In January, Coconino Community College, Flagstaff Medical Center, the Museum of Northern Arizona, the city of Flagstaff, Xanterra Resorts, Nestle Purina Pet Care Co. and Northern Arizona University pledged to each buy about 5 percent of their power from renewable sources. The pledges will help build a market for a local renewable power plant.

The city already does this, but not all the other organizations do.

So far, the group has yet to sign any binding, long-term power purchasing agreements with APS, which is the eventual goal.

Coconino County passed an ordinance to allow backyard wind turbines to be installed in suburbs and in the rest of Coconino County.

Next up, the Flagstaff City Council is expected to consider a wind turbine ordinance that would permit installation of wind turbines in commercial and industrial areas of the city.

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