Idaho Utility Companies, Wind Developers Come to Agreement

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http://www.redorbit.com/news/business/1266325/idaho_utility_companies_wind_developers_come_to_agreement/

Idaho Utility Companies, Wind Developers Come to Agreement

Posted on: Saturday, 23 February 2008, 12:00 CST

By Joshua Palmer, The Times-News, Twin Falls, Idaho

Feb. 23--A nearly three-year dispute between Idaho utility companies and wind developers has been resolved, according to a statement issued by the Idaho Public Utilities Commission.

The disagreement, which involved three major cases that argued how much it costs to add wind power to the public utility grid, was resolved through discussions between the Idaho Power Co. and Idaho wind farm developers.

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To resolve cost issues, the utility commission established an amount that utilities can assess against wind developers to make up for the costs associated with integrating wind into the power grid. The commission also removed a cap on the size of small-power projects that can qualify for a rate published by the commission.

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Wind developers proposed more certainty to utilities by agreeing to share the cost of buying wind forecasting services, and provide guarantees that their projects would be mechanically able to generate at full output during 85 percent of the hours during a month.

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