Winds Being Studied

Okanagan winds could be a source of electricity for B.C.

A Norwegian firm, Fred Olsen and Co., has received permission from the provincial government to study the feasibility of building wind farms in several South Okanagan areas.

Spots being considered include, the McNulty Creek area west of Apex and Mount Kathleen in the Headwaters Lake area northwest of Summerland.

Business manager for the Vancouver-based firm Natural Power Consultants Ltd, Mark Rogers, says Fred Olsen and Co. plan to place four temporary monitoring towers in the areas.

He says the towers will measure the wind speeds over the course of one or two years and let them know if the wind is strong enough to support a commercial wind farm, which can generate about 100 megawatts of electricity.

Rogers says a deal with B.C. Hydro is still several years away and a full study on a farm's environmental impact would be done on any suitable site.