First Wind starts building Milford and Utah wind farm

NEW YORK (Reuters) - First Wind, an independent wind power company, started construction of its 203-megawatt Milford Wind Corridor Project in Milford, Utah, the company said Friday.

First Wind expects to complete the project, which features 97 turbines, by the end of 2009.

In December 2007, First Wind said it completed a 20-year power purchase agreement with the Southern California Public Power Authority on behalf of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power and the cities of Burbank and Pasadena to supply Los Angeles with power from Milford.

Milford is located in the southwest part of the state about 210 miles south-southwest of Salt Lake City.

Officials at First Wind were not available to comment on the project's cost or the manufacturer of the turbines.

Using an industry estimate of $1,500 per kilowatt, the wind farm will likely cost about $300 million.

First Wind, of Newton, Massachusetts, has about 100 MW of wind power in operation and more than 5,000 MW in various stages of development in several states, according to its web site.

(Reporting by Scott DiSavino; Editing by Walter Bagley)