MOUNT STORM, W.Va. — With 132 turbines atop Mount Storm, the NedPower wind project has been called the biggest wind farm in the eastern part of the country, and Gov. Joe Manchin recognized that fact and what it could mean for West Virginia at the dedication ceremony Thursday.

“Why shouldn’t we be energy efficient?” Manchin asked the crowd gathered under a tent at the ceremony. “We could be dependent on domestic oil and our ingenuity.”

Manchin said wars have been fought for the sake of energy and there were promises in the 1970s that the United States would be less reliant on foreign oil, only to find the reliance increasing in the time since. While there may be some states that will never be self-reliant, he said that he genuinely believed West Virginia had the capability, and that this project was one step in that process.

The NedPower Mount Storm project is a joint venture by Dominion and Shell WindEnergy Inc. Fully operational, it can produce as much as 264 megawatts of power, which could provide power to at least 66,000 homes. Construction began in 2006 with the project being completed in 2008. There is still room for an additional 18 turbines on the site, which would bring the total power that could be generated to 300 megawatts.

However, Thomas Farrell II, the chairman, president and chief executive officer at Dominion said this doesn’t mean wind power will operate on its own. While it is a supplement, he said that “getting serious” about the energy needs in the country requires a bit of everything.

“Wind and other power are not exclusive,” Farrell said. “They complement one another. ... We must harness renewable energy.”

While it was a windy day on the NedPower project Thursday, Farrell said not every day is going to be like that, and that was why wind would be paired with some other form of power. He said the availability of natural gas and coal in West Virginia combined with such strong winds made the location a good choice. The nearby Dominion-owned Mount Storm Power Station, he said, ensured that there wasn’t the need to construct new power lines.

Jim Wilson, chairman of the Grant County Comission, said the county was glad to have the project located there as well. Estimates are that the project will provide as much as $45 million in taxes during its anticipated 25-year lifespan and that 60 percent of the local taxes will go to the Grant County school system while the remaining 40 percent will go to the county government. He said that already, Dominion has donated to the libraries and to local schools. The company also made a $10,000 donation to the Mount Storm Volunteer Fire Department during the dedication ceremony.

It is not just about taxes or about providing energy, Manchin said, and the state is also aware of proper land use.

“We are going to use our resources,” he said. “The thing I’m concerned about is if we’re not careful we could be inflicting economic hardship that we can’t recover. ... If you want a permit to do something, show how you can make the land more valuable when you’re done.”

This is a standard by which he said he holds all development, from companies doing housing development to coal mining.

Wilson said the company has already been making arrangements for when the time comes to tear the turbines down at the end of their useful life.

Contact Sarah Moses at smoses@times-news.com.