Wind Energy

Pickens reduces order for wind turbines

T. Boone Pickens, who made wind power a key part of his plan to wean Americans off foreign oil, said Tuesday he will now take delivery of 300 wind turbines.

In May 2008, Pickens announced that his company, Mesa Power LP, would order 687 wind turbines, or 1,000 megawatts of capacity, from GE for about $2 billion.

Those turbines were originally meant to become the world’s largest wind farm, in the Texas Panhandle. Now, Pickens says none of the turbines will go to Texas.

T. Boone Pickens said the Panhandle will still lack transmission lines to carry the wind energy when he begins to take delivery of the wind turbines in 2011. Pickens said he will build a wind farm in the Panhandle when transmission is built.

On Tuesday, Pickens said part of the reason wind has become less important to him is the drop in natural gas prices.

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