Kenedy Ranch turbines ready for wind

SOUTH OF SARITA - They aren't visible from the nearest highway, but starting about 11 miles from the road, more than 100 turbines now dot 8,000 acres of Kenedy Ranch.

The turbines, each taller than the Statue of Liberty from base to apex, were motionless Wednesday afternoon. Soon, however, the massive, gleaming blades will be spinning and generating enough electricity to power 80,000 homes, officials said at a ribbon-cutting Wednesday.

"We realized there is a great natural resource here," said John Calaway, chief development officer for Australia-based Babcock & Brown, which developed the Gulf Wind project at Kenedy Ranch. "We're delighted that the whole project has come together like this."

Together with state and county officials, the developers acknowledged the opposition they faced from the King Ranch and various environmental groups in bringing the wind farm to fruition.

The Coastal Habitat Alliance, as the collection of groups opposing the project call themselves, filed a federal lawsuit last year seeking to halt the wind farm's construction and lodged protests with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Federal Aviation Administration. The lawsuit was dismissed, and the federal agencies haven't responded to the alliance's complaints.

The alliance has argued the wind-energy projects are in a major migratory pathway for birds and the large, spinning turbines could lead to major bird kills.

Concerns that the wind farms could harm birds are unfounded, Babcock & Brown representatives said Wednesday.

"It's something we've carefully studied, and we designed the project to mitigate any (environmental) impacts," project developer Chris Shugart said.

The company spent three years conducting environmental assessments, tracking bird migration and monitoring endangered species in the area, Calaway said.

To address concerns about risks to birds, the company is using a precision radar system to track bird movement and will shut down turbines during high-risk periods, officials said. Few other wind farms use this type of technology, they said.

"It's going to set the example for environmental stewardship," Calaway said.

State and local officials said they were surprised by the alliance's persistent efforts to stop the project, despite the wind developers' promises to monitor bird migration and minimize any impact to wetlands.

Texas General Land Office Commissioner Jerry Patterson, one of the defendants in the alliance's lawsuit, bristled at its claims as he spoke at the ribbon-cutting ceremony Wednesday.

"I was sued last year," he said. "They said I deliberately violated the Coastal Zone Management Act. That's calling me out as a liar, and I don't cotton to that."

Babcock & Brown is planning to build more turbines, adding an additional 200 megawatts of power to the existing 283 megawatts generated by the turbines already in place, officials said.

Combined with another wind farm, owned by Portland, Ore.-based Iberdrola Renewables, Kenedy Ranch's wind project will eventually be the largest in the world, Calaway said.

Melissa McEver covers health and environment issues for Valley Freedom Newspapers. She is based in Harlingen and you can reach her at (956) 430-6252.