A windmill project proposed for the Virginia Range could be the first in Nevada when finished, but it's not the only one in the works.

According to Sierra Pacific Power Co. spokesman Fay Anderson, there are several locations in Nevada being studied for wind-generated electricity projects, the farthest along outside of the Virginia Range project being in Elko County.

There also are projects proposed for Lincoln, Clark and White Pine counties.

U.S. Department of Energy officials have estimated that 20 percent of the nation's power could come from wind within 20 years, and that turbines in Nevada could power a million homes.

But early failures such as that at California's Altamont Pass, one of the country's first wind farms, hurt the industry by killing golden eagles and other birds, and brought it under fire from environmentalists.

The Virginia Range Project, proposed by Rich Hamilton of Great Basin Wind, would involve 72 large wind turbines extending... [continue via Web link]