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BILLINGS – A wind farm north of Reed Point will sell power to NorthWestern Energy under a new 25-year contract announced last week.

WKN Montana, a Billings-based company, will break ground in late spring on a 25-to-35-turbine Vivaldi Springtime Wind Project in the hills north of Reed Point. The project is expected to finish in early 2018.

The wind farm will produce about 80 megawatts of wind energy, enough to power 19,000 to 30,000 homes. WKN will receive $37.65 a megawatt hour for its energy.

Wind farm developers have been active in the Reed Point area for several years. The area between Big Timber and Columbus has been targeted by several wind developers over the years, but coming to sales terms with NorthWestern hasn’t been easy.

The Vivaldi project is classified as a “qualifying facility," meaning that under 40-year-old federal laws to promote renewable energy, NorthWestern cannot say no to the power and must offer a long-term contract. However, the projects are subject to negotiated price and that’s where other qualified facilities have struggled.