CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Chicago-based Invenergy plans to hire 200 construction workers and put up 67 massive wind turbines along Greenbrier County's mountain ridges by the end of the year.

The company has already started clearing brush, grading land and building a gravel road that will allow trucks to haul wind turbine parts up the mountains.

The first set of 67 turbines is expected to be assembled and erected by August or September. An additional 57 turbines will go up next year.

Last month, the state Public Service Commission gave the final go-ahead for the $350 million project, which has been scrutinized for more than four years.

"We are pleased to be ready to build this project," said David Groberg, vice president of development at Invenergy. "This case has lasted four years, and Beech Ridge Wind Energy has undergone the most scrutiny ever given to a wind project in West Virginia. We're just happy to pass those tests and finally get ready to hire workers and start providing clean energy."

By the end of next year, Invenergy plans to build 124 turbines and hire about 20 full-time employees.

Groberg expects that at least 10 full-time workers will be on site by the end of this year.

The company plans to pay about $500,000 in property taxes a year to Greenbrier County government, and another $200,000 yearly in state taxes.

"We've guaranteed the county we will pay no less than $400,000 in property taxes every year," Groberg said.

The first set of 67 turbines would generate more than 100.5 megawatts of electricity.

Last August, Invenergy signed an agreement to supply The Greenbrier wind farm's electricity to Appalachian Power, which has more than 1 million residential customers in West Virginia and Virginia.

"We're selling the output to Appalachian Power to help them serve their West Virginia customers and help them reach their goal of purchasing 2,000 megawatts of wind energy by the end of 2011."

Invenergy's 124 turbines will generate about 186 megawatts of power a year - or enough energy to power about 40,000 homes, Groberg said.

A group called Mountain Communities for Responsible Energy (MCRE) continues to challenge the wind project.

The organization has filed an appeal with the state Supreme Court, asserting that Invenergy failed to comply with pre-construction conditions mandated by the Public Service Commission. The PSC has ruled that Invenergy met all 18 conditions.

Wind opponents have previously criticized the project, alleging it will spoil scenic views, decrease property values and kill endangered bats.

The Supreme Court issued an order Thursday, scheduling a Sept. 2 hearing on MCRE's appeal.

"The problem with big wind is there is no way to store the electricity," said John Stroud, a spokesman for the group. "These things in the long run aren't going to work. It's an incredible waste of resources as far as I'm concerned."

Groberg said the company has complied with the PSC's conditions.

"We don't think the facts support the arguments that the groups continue to make," he said. "We have a permit and order that says we can build the project."

He said it takes only a day to assemble and put up one of the company's 400-foot-tall wind turbines.

The turbines will be scattered over 23 miles along mountain ridges owned primarily by MeadWestvaco. The project will be connected to a 138-kilovolt-transmission line that extends through Greenbrier and Nicholas counties.

Groberg said the wind farm would benefit from the recent federal economic stimulus package through new tax credits and a U.S. Department of Energy grant program for renewable energy projects.

"During the course of the case, we've seen wind energy become a much higher priority both nationally and in West Virginia," Groberg said.

Invenergy has wind projects in 10 states, as well as six natural gas-fired power plants.

Groberg said the Public Service Commission's "rigorous" review of The Greenbrier project and subsequent legal battles initiated by wind opponents hasn't stopped Invenergy from considering other possible sites for wind farms in the state.

"There are some areas we're looking at right now that we like in West Virginia," he said.