Covenant Blows Off Windmill Proposal

Covenant Blows Off
Windmill Proposal
TVA To Test Wind Generators Elsewhere

BY DAVE FLESSNER
Business Editor

An adverse wind of public opinion from neighboring residents has blown out plans for power-generating windmills atop Lookout Mountain.

But TVA and its contractor say they will pursue the wind generating project elsewhere in the Tennessee Valley.

Covenant College has decided not to allow the Tennessee Valley Authority to locate three wind generators near the school's soccer fields. Covenant President Frank Brock said response to the proposed wind generators from neighbors on Lookout Mountain was far more negative than he had anticipated.

"Everyone was telling us it would be very unsightly and they didn't want these types of towers on the mountain," he said. "The long-term benefit from this type of project doesn't justify all of the immediate objections we received from another artificial addition to the natural beauty of the mountain."

EnXco Inc., a Palm Springs, Calif., company that has built more than 5,000 wind generators around the world, wanted to build three 660-kilowatt wind generators on top of 210-foot high towers at Covenant College. Lookout Mountain was considered an ideal site because of its strong winds, road network and access to power lines.

Nearby homeowners complained that the windmills might be noisy and alter the mountain-top view.

TVA wants to add wind power as part of its "green power" initiative. TVA also plans to build solar generators and collect methane gas from landfills. Power generated from such renewable sources will be sold at a premium to customers willing to pay higher rates for clean-generated power.

"We have several other sites we'll have to pursue now," said Andrew Young, project manager. "Lookout Mountain was an attractive site for a lot of reasons, but we'll probably look somewhere else. Our tendency is not to get bit by the same dog twice."

Wind power enthusiasts said Covenant's decision may delay the installation of the pilot wind project — but not for long.

"Clearly, we're disappointed that both Covenant and the few people on the mountain that opposed us decided to kill this project," said Dr. Steve Smith, executive director of the Tennessee Valley Energy Reform Coalition.

"This may set us back on time a bit, but it in no way deters us from going forward with wind power."

TVA spokeswoman Barbara Martocci said the federal utility wants to begin marketing its "green power" to TVA consumers by next spring.