US developer LS Power plans 800MW onshore wind farm in Idaho

US energy infrastructure investor LS Power has unveiled plans for an approximately 800MW wind farm in Idaho – due to be one of the largest in the western state.

Its 800MW Salmon Falls (MVE) Salmon Falls (MVE) (800MW) OnshoreIdaho, USA, North America Click to see full details project is planned for a site in Twin Falls county in southern Idaho.

If built, it would be Idaho’s second largest wind farm, according to Windpower Intelligence, the research and data division of Windpower Monthly. LS Power’s 1000MW Lava Ridge Lava Ridge (1000MW) OnshoreJerome, Lincoln and Minidoka Counties, Idaho, USA, North America Click to see full details project is slated to be bigger.

The project would be built on lands managed by a US government agency, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).

LS Power affiliate Magic Valley Energy, which is developing the project, claimed the site will benefit from favourable wind resources, availability of suitable land, compatibility with existing land uses, general absence of sensitive biological resources and proximity to existing and planned high voltage transmission lines.

Magic Valley Energy is currently consulting federal, state and local agencies, as well as local stakeholders about the project. Construction could start as soon as 2024, the developer added.