The Campo Band of Mission Indians of the Kumeyaay Nation (Campo Band), Invenergy LLC (Invenergy) and San Diego Gas & Electric Company (SDG&E) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to build wind energy project. The wind energy project on tribal land will have the generating capacity of up to 160 megawatts (MW) of power. The project can offset as much as 57.6 million pounds of carbon-dioxide emissions annually.
“Development of this project will expand the Campo tribe’s production capability of clean, renewable wind energy on Indian lands in the United States,” said Monique La Chappa, Campo Band chairwoman. “We are excited to be working with Invenergy and SDG&E to bring this project to reality for the benefit of our tribal members and residents of San Diego County.”
US Secretary of the Interior Secretary Ken Salazar recently touted wind power’s potential on tribal lands, stating that Indian country offers some of the premier wind energy sites in the US.
The project will help create diverse, sustainable economy and contribute revenue to essential governmental services for the Campo Band. During construction, the project will employ around150 workers from various construction trades. Upon completion, 10-12 full time staff will be needed to operate and maintain the wind farm.
“This project represents the tip of the iceberg for renewable energy development in eastern San Diego County, which will spark creation of new green-collar jobs,” said Chairwoman La Chappa.
The project is being developed by Invenergy.
“We are very proud and excited to be working with the only tribe in the nation that currently operates a wind farm development on tribal land,” said Mick Baird Invenergy’s vice president of development for the region. “Invenergy will continue to work with the San Diego community in educating the region about the benefits of wind development and the benefits of renewable projects for our environment.”
To meet the growing market for renewable energy projects in the East County, SDG&E also is planning a number of infrastructure enhancements projects that will help deliver renewable power into the grid while enhancing energy reliability for local residents and customers.
“This agreement is a significant step forward in our goal of achieving 33 percent of power deliveries from renewable resources by 2020,” said Debra L. Reed, president and chief executive officer of SDG&E. “This partnership is a great example of how we can deliver the benefits of these renewable resources to our customers.”
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory has identified portions of eastern San Diego County, Imperial County and the northern Baja California region as some of the top locations in the country to generate electricity from renewable resources including the sun, wind and geothermal steam heat.
“SDG&E’s vision for East County includes investment in renewable energy projects that make sense from an economic and environmental standpoint, combined with the development of critical infrastructure to deliver that power to our customers,” said Reed.
Over the next year, Muht-Hei, Inc., in conjunction with the Campo Band executive committee, Campo Environmental Protection Agency and the Bureau of Indian Affairs, will finalize the terms of the agreements with Invenergy and SDG&E. Project developers will complete pre-development siting analyses, placement of testing towers to evaluate wind potential and fulfill environmental clearances prior to construction. The project is expected to commence commercial operation in 2012.