| Comment: |
Dear BPA Administrator, Nordic Windpower conducts wind turbine manufacturing in Pocatello Idaho. Our wind turbines are deployed in the community-scale wind energy industry. We have customers ready to invest a significant amount of capital on our equipment for these types of projects. That investment would be at risk, contrary to the renewable energy aspirations our Federal Government, should the proposed Wind Integration Fees be applied. Nordic Windpower is creating valuable manufacturing jobs in Pocatello, ID and administrative jobs in Berkeley, CA. Our growth and the growth of the vital community wind energy industry depends on rational pricing for energy and transmission. These fees are set so high that they jeopardize the economics of Community Wind Projects. Nordic Windpower supports the community-utility-scale wind industry, and we urge that community wind energy projects up to 10 MW be exempted from BPA’s proposed wind integration rates. • Community projects sell power to regulated utilities under PURPA avoided cost rates. This power is not shaped, and does not need BPA’s services like larger projects. • We cannot pass these costs on to the utilities, so must absorb them in the project’s cost structure. Small 10 MW projects cannot absorb this much cost and pay of the bank debt. • The WECC does not track 10 MW projects because they believe them too small to need that level of control. There is an important community-scale wind energy market for the vitality of local economic growth. We look forward to your favorable consideration. Sincerely, Tom Carbone, CEO Nordic Windpower USA 510-665-9463 www.nordicwindpower.com |
