Iberdrola Renewables presented the authority's board with a proposal last month to install 38 wind turbines on the authority's land in Monroe County and 32 wind turbines on the authority's Carbon County property. In May, Delsea Energy proposed installing wind turbines only on the authority's Carbon County property.

Both wind energy companies have estimated they would pay a minimum of $300,000 to $500,000 a year to lease the authority's land. Neither company will present firm financial offers, however, until the land is studied for its wind energy- producing capabilities, which takes two years, said Stephen Repasch, the authority's executive director.

The board is scheduled to vote Thursday on hiring a consultant to study the proposals. If approved, the authority would pay Delaware County-based Broadlands Financial Group $6,000 per proposal.

"Both firms, I think, are very good firms," Repasch said. "We'll see where the chips lay after the evaluation process."

Delsea Energy, of Toms River, N.J., also studied the authority's land in Tunkhannock Township, Monroe County, but didn't think the 9,000 acres were good for wind energy, Repasch said. The company in May said it expected to generate almost 106,000 megawatts annually, enough to power 10,587 homes, on the authority's 12,000 acres in Penn Forest Township, Carbon County.

The presentation from Iberdrola Renewables, of Portland, Ore., didn't cite how much power the company expects to generate.

Evaluating the two firms will likely take six to 12 months, authority board Chairman Mark Jobes said. Installing wind energy turbines can sometimes affect water runoff and bird and bat migration, which should be given consideration, Jobes said.

"I think this is something that has some merit to it and I hope some day we can do this," Jobes said. "But we're going to do this right and we're certainly going to proceed slowly where we can understand the pros and cons and make sure we're being good stewards to the watershed."