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--> --> BPA strikes power deal PORTLAND (AP) - PacifiCorp Power Marketing said Friday the Bonneville Power Administration will buy 90 megawatts of wind power, the largest purchase of wind-generated electricity in BPA history. The electricity would be enough to power 18,000 Northwest homes for the next 25 years, said Jan Johnson, a spokeswoman for PacifiCorp Power Marketing, or PPM. The power will come from the Stateline Wind Project near Walla Walla, Wash., where 450 wind turbines generate enough power for 70,000 homes in 11 Western states. It is the largest wind farm in the world. The turbines began producing power for PPM in July and will pump out 264 megawatts of electricity by Dec. 31, Johnson said. BPA will have access to the power Dec. 29, but the terms of the deal were confidential, Johnson said. BPA had previously purchased 80 megawatts of wind power from turbines in Foote Creek, Wyo., and the Condon Wind Project near Prineville, said Bill Murlin, a Bonneville spokesman. Murlin said the Portland-based federal power marketing agency is studying up to eight wind projects for future purchases, including several in the windy Columbia River Gorge. BPA provides power for utilities and cooperatives in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana and parts of Wyoming and California. The Stateline Wind Project sits on land owned by farmers, while the turbines are owned by FPL Energy of Florida, the largest developer and operator of wind energy facilities in the nation. The Stateline wind field straddles the Oregon-Washington border, with 200 megawatts provided by turbines in Walla Walla County, Wash., and 100 megawatts generated by turbines in Umatilla County. Email your... Technical questions & comments to: WebMaster Daily Tidings editorial comments & questions to: Editor Visit our other Oregon Newspapers... | Albany Democrat-Herald | Ashland Daily Tidings | Corvallis Gazette-Times | | Lebanon Express | Newport News-Times | Springfield News | Cottage Grove Sentinel | Ashland Daily Tidings 1661 Siskiyou Blvd. Ashland, OR 97520 Telephone 541-482-3456 © Copyright 2001 Lee Northwest Publishing