Dec 23 - McClatchy-Tribune Business News Formerly Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News - Steve Virkler Watertown Daily Times, N.Y.

The largest wind farm east of the Mississippi River is now operating on all turbines.

And Maple Ridge Wind Farm officials hope that an operations and maintenance building, including a visitor center, will be completed by May.

"We're extremely ecstatic that we're a fully operational wind farm," said C. Lee Hinkleman Sr., communications manager at the 195-turbine, 321-megawatt wind farm.

"We have to thank the landowners and the local community," wind farm Operation Manager Scott R. Alexander said in a statement. "Without their continued support, we would never have reached this goal."

Flat Rock Wind Power -- a joint venture of Horizon Wind Energy of Houston, Texas, and PPM Energy of Portland, Ore. -- last year began a $380 million wind farm project on more than 75 properties in the towns of Lowville, Martinsburg and Harrisburg.

Crews in late June activated 20 new turbines, adding to the 120 that were put up last year. An additional 55 turbines were installed and commissioned this year.

The wind farm is expected to produce enough electricity to power 160,000 average homes.

Flat Rock last month made an initial $5.58 million payment in lieu of taxes to Lewis County, which is to distribute it to other taxing jurisdictions next week. The Lowville Academy and Central School District is to receive $2.63 million from the initial payment, followed by the county at $1.5 million and the town of Martinsburg at $1.13 million.

The project in coming years will provide up to $8 million annually to local taxing jurisdictions, based on a 15-year PILOT agreement.

"Although wind generates less than 1 percent of the U.S. electricity today, the industry is growing fast," Mr. Alexander said. "In fact, wind power was the second largest source of new power generation in the country after natural gas."

Electricity produced at the wind farm travels through a 10.3-mile transmission line into the town of Watson, where it enters National Grid's 230-kilovolt Adirondack-Porter transmission line.

Work is progressing rapidly on an 8,640-square-foot operations building on Eagle Factory Road in the town of Lowville, Mr. Hinkleman said.

The structure, being built by Northland Associates Inc. of Liverpool, will include office space and a garage for storage of vehicles and parts, along with a visitor center.

"We're very excited that we'll be able to provide the public with a facility that will allow them to become better acquainted with the Maple Ridge Wind Farm," Mr. Hinkleman said.