Duke Energy representatives say the company plans to build a 99-megawatt wind farm near Casper beginning early next year.

The Campbell Hill Windpower project - to be located about 15 miles northeast of Casper - will consist of 66 wind energy turbines, each generating 1.5 megawatts of electricity.

Erection of the wind turbines is slated to begin early next year, with the turbines going online by late 2009. One megawatt of wind energy is enough to power approximately 300 homes.

Duke, based in North Carolina, has entered into a 20-year contract to sell the power generated by the project to PacifiCorp, which operates as Rocky Mountain Power in Wyoming.

A PacifiCorp spokesman says the power will go on the company's grid to serve customers in Utah, Wyoming, Oregon, Idaho, Washington and Colorado.

The Campbell Hill Windpower project will be in close proximity to current wind turbine construction east of Casper. Currently, PacifiCorp is erecting 66 turbines for its Glenrock wind farm project, and another 66 turbines for its Rolling Hills wind farm project.

Wyoming already has about 304 wind turbines with an electrical generation capacity of 351.8 megawatts. New construction is already under way for approximately 289 more wind turbines in the state, boosting capacity by 465.5 megawatts.

And even more wind turbines are coming. A rush of planning by wind developers, including Duke's most recent announcement, could add a staggering 1,856 more turbines and 2,786.5 megawatts of wind generation capacity.

"We see Wyoming as a state with obvious potential given its abundance of free fuel, which is wind," Duke Energy spokesman Greg Efthimiou told the Star-Tribune.

Duke is also developing the Happy Jack Windpower project in Laramie County, which consists of 14 turbines with a generation capacity of 30 megawatts.

Duke also announced Tuesday a deal to purchase 100 wind turbines from General Electric, giving the company the ability to install some 150 megawatts of wind capacity throughout the United States in 2009.

A Duke official noted that the demand for wind turbines has risen dramatically, so it's important to secure supplies.

"Soaring interest in wind energy has translated into growing demand for turbines and a tightening supply," Duke Energy's vice president for wind energy David Marks said in a prepared statement.

Contact Dustin Bleizeffer at (307) 577-6069 or dustin.bleizeffer@trib.com