Wind Power Making Headway in Oil Country

Because of this, WEST just needs to work with the state of Texas while preparing to construct its wind farms, significantly reducing the federal bureaucratic hurdles that companies face elsewhere.

WEST already had a stake in the wind business in Texas before this week's lease auction. The company won a contract to build a wind farm near Galveston in 2005. The new agreement will expand the firm's presence to Brazoria, Calhoun, Cameron and Jefferson counties.

WEST was founded by a dynamic pair of entrepreneurs from New Iberia, La. One, Harold Schoeffler, is the leader of a chapter of the Sierra Club. Ironically, he also owns the largest Cadillac dealership in town.

The other founder, Herman Schellestede, runs a company that builds drilling rigs. Schellestede says that there isn't much difference between building an oil rig and building a wind turbine.

Although WEST's Galveston project was delayed by hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005, it is now making good headway. The firm has constructed a meteorological tower that analyzes wind patterns. It is also conducting a study of bird flight patterns and other environmental issues. The company hopes to have a test wind turbine operating by 2008, with the rest of its turbines coming online in 2010.

WEST's proposed projects for the leases acquired last week will follow the same path as its Galveston project. After passing the approval and testing phases, the new turbines could inject electricity into the Texas power grid by 2011.