In American Falls, Idaho, an 80-megawatt wind farm has been completed. The project, co-developed by French and Japanese conglomerates, is described in a press release: Construction began in March 2011 and more than 170,000 labor hours were used to build access roads, collections systems, an on-site substation and all 44 turbines. Nearly 60,000 of those hours were contributed by workers in American Falls, southeast Idaho and surrounding areas.
During peak construction, the project employed more than 160 workers. Ten full-time employees will reside in American Falls to maintain the facility. The wind farm should be a significant contributor to the local tax base.
