Jul. 15--GOLDENDALE, Wash. -- One of the largest wind farms in the world has been sold.

Cannon Power Group, based in San Diego, has sold Windy Point, its brand- new, massive wind power project near Goldendale, to the Tuolumne Wind Project Authority consortium of Central California public utilities.

The company announced the sale in a news release Tuesday.

Windy Point is Phase 1 of what eventually will be 26 miles of wind turbines along the ridges above the Columbia River in Klickitat County. It eventually will generate 500 megawatts of energy, enough for 250,000 homes a year.

Windy Point began producing commercial power on May 28 this year.

This sale applies only to Windy Point. The rest of the project, called Windy Flats, will be completed in 2010.

The sale will not affect operations or jobs at either project, said Gary Hardke, president and managing director of Cannon Power Group.

The sale price was $385,000, according to the Modesto (Calif.) Bee.

Another California group is expected to purchase energy from Windy Flats as the Golden State's power suppliers look to the Northwest to fulfill their renewable energy requirements.

"(Renewable energy) is a product being sold like other products on the market to the highest bidder," said Mike Canon, economic development director for Klickitat County.

Some county residents have discussed the idea of building smaller wind farms that would be owned by local communities in Central Washington, he said.

"We grow great apples in Washington but they go all over the world because they're in great demand ... but we want to make sure we keep enough apples for ourselves," said Canon.

Klickitat County is becoming a Northwest capital for wind projects. The county is home to 14 wind farms either built, under construction or in the permitting process.

County officials and developers consider the wind farms a huge boost to the economy.

Windy Point and Windy Flats, for example, created 150 jobs, with nearly 75 percent of them filled by Klickitat County residents, the news release said.

Canon, however, believes the best will come when the county develops a wind-farm service industry with permanent work.

"That's where I feel we're going to have our greatest job growth," Canon said.

--Ross Courtney can be reached at 509-930-8798 or rcourtney@yakimaherald.com.

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