SEATTLE (AP) — The Bonneville Power Administration wants to shut down Northwest wind farms this spring when hydroelectric dams are generating plenty of electricity as a huge mountain snowpack melts.
The wind-power producers are fighting the proposal that could cost them millions in lost revenue.
The Seattle Times reports the Portland-based BPA says a wind power shutdown would be a last resort, but it has to be ready to balance the flow of energy it markets in the Northwest as well as meeting commitments to ratepayers, helping salmon and selling power outside the region.
Wind farms have been sprouting in Washington and Oregon thanks to tax credits and requirements that utilities use more renewable energy. The industry says if there are shut downs it should be compensated for lost revenue.
