Wind options being studied for Desert Rock

A California company installs wind testing meters on the western part of Navajo Nation.

Photo by Harvey McDaniel

A San Diego company has installed five wind meters on the western part of the Navajo Nation as it studies the possibility of putting a wind farm in the area.

Sempra Energy, which owns Southern California utilities, has made no commitments, signed no contracts, and has no definite plans or deadlines, said company spokesman Hanan Eisenman.

If the company does move ahead, the project could be large enough to supply power for as many as 150,000 households, at 250 to 500 megawatts.

Sempra is one of at least two businesses courting the Navajo Nation for potential renewable energy sites, while another seeks to build a coal-fired power plant in the Four Corners area.