The 309 megawatt facility is planned to have 206 turbines, which would make it one of largest wind farms in the western US.

NaturEner is one of three wind developers that have reserved electricity transmission space on the Montana Alberta Tie Line which, when built, will link Great Falls, Montana, with Canada’s Lethbridge, Alberta Province.

NaturEner will go ahead with Rim Rock once the Tie Line is in operation, says Benito Fernandez, chief executive of NaturEner USA. He says Rim Rock will create more than 300 construction jobs and add at least $3m to the local annual tax base.

Officials at developer Tonbridge Power, based in Toronto, Canada, say construction on the transmission line is expected to start this fall. Several landowners are challenging the line’s routing and lost an appeal in the Alberta Court of Appeal. The Supreme Court of Canada has not ruled if it will hear their case.

Schweitzer met last week in Spain with Grupo NatureEner’s board of directors to discuss the company’s US wind power development plans.

For more on the Rim Rock project, see the upcoming issue of Recharge.