Cielo Wind's New Mexico project size tripled

Cielo Wind Power is tripling the size of New Mexico's first wind power project with the addition in April of two Vestas 660 kW wind turbines alongside a single unit already on site. The first turbine, also a Vestas 660 kW unit, was installed in 1999. Cielo, based in Austin, Texas, will sell the output of the entire plant to Minneapolis-based Xcel, which will use the power to meet swelling customer enrolment to Southwestern Public Service Company's WindSource program for its New Mexico and Colorado customers. Xcel owns Southwestern. New Mexico will also get a second wind farm next summer on completion of FPL Energy's 204 MW project in eastern New Mexico, construction of which begins this month. FPL has a power purchase agreement for the project's output with Public Service Company of New Mexico.