(Omaha World-Herald) -- The Nebraska Public Power District said Monday that it would buy the electricity produced by wind generators planned near Bloomfield, Neb., opening the way for construction of the state's largest wind energy farm. The Columbus, Neb.-based utility signed a 20-year agreement to purchase power from Midwest Wind Energy LLC of Chicago and its affiliate, Elkhorn Ridge Wind LLC, which would generate 80 megawatts of electricity, enough to power about 25,000 Nebraska homes a year. NPPD operates a wind farm near Ainsworth, Neb., that can generate 60 megawatts of electricity. By contrast, NPPD's Gerald Gentleman Station coal plant near Sutherland, Neb., has a capacity of 1,300 megawatts.
