The Albany County Commission approved in its first meeting of the month on Tuesday part of a wind farm that will straddle the Albany County-Carbon County line.

The commissioners approved a permit for 28 1.5-megawatt wind turbines for the North Rim Wind Energy Conversion System, which will be owned and operated by AES Wind Generation, a division of the AES Corporation.

"Here's an opportunity of maybe raising some revenue," County Planner Doug Bryant said. "I think this could be something ... very positive for the county."

North Rim will straddle the Albany County-Carbon County line on 2,143 acres of private property about three miles west of Rock River off Wyoming Highway 13.

In addition to the permit for 28 turbines in Albany County, AES plans to install nine turbines on the Carbon County portion of the project for a total generating capacity of 55.5 megawatts of electricity.

North Rim is an extension of Foote Creek Rim, which is a commercial wind farm near Arlington.

The Game and Fish Department expressed some concern about North Rim's impact on crucial winter habitat for pronghorn, particularly on the east side of the project.

However, Bryant said AES has agreed to order its truck drivers to avoid stopping or idling when they are transporting construction materials and equipment through the area during the winter.

"They'll be continuing on until they are out of that area," Bryant said.

Another concern was for a set of stone circles (or "tipi rings") that are located near the North Rim project.

Due to the historical significance of the stone circles, AES has complied with the rules of the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) in dealing with artifacts or areas of cultural significance, Bryant said.

"These areas will be fenced ... to keep construction traffic and that sort of thing from infringing onto those areas," he said. "That does address the concerns of SHPO."

Mike Azeka, director of planning and permitting for AES Wind Generation, said the construction of North Rim would begin in May or June and end in October 2010.

In response to the concern over the stone circles, Azeka said there would be plenty of space set aside to protect the area during construction.

"Around that (area) is a buffer that provides additional distance so that construction activities would not accidentally affect any of the resources," he said. "In addition to that, we've provided another 20 feet from ... any wind turbines or roads or construction activity to the buffer area."

There also would be an AES management team at the site to make sure the SHPO rules are followed during the construction phase, Azeka said.

Commissioner Tim Chesnut said he has been impressed with AES and how it has met all of the requirements for its wind projects in Albany County.

"You set a standard for what I'm looking at in the future, especially with the decommissioning," he said. "The fact that you came to us and talked to us about what the landowner wants, what the landowner is doing ... that was very helpful."

For more information, contact the Albany County Planning Office at 721-2568.