Mesa Power

Mesa Power was founded by T. Boone Pickens. He's been known in the past as a leader in the oil industry for his company Mesa Petroleum. Mesa Power will focus on wind and water energy.

In a move that surprised many industry watchers, the company, under the direction of owner T. Boone Pickens, will construct the world's largest wind farm. It will be located in the Texas panhandle. The wind farm, which will have 2,700 turbines, is expected to generate 4,000 megawatts of power. That's as much wind power capacity as was built throughout the entire United States in 2007, and enough power for one million American homes. The project will start building in 2009, and begin providing power in 2011.

Pickens has said repeatedly that he is not building the wind farm because he is an environmentalist; he is building it because he wants to earn money, and he says gas and oil prices will continue to increase, making it more difficult for him to earn a profit. He also notes that oil fields in Texas are declining in output, and says the future is in wind, water and solar energy.

Pickens has told the Guardian that his goal, via Mesa Power, is to make the United States energy independent. He plans to do this by constructing many large wind farms throughout the Midwest, and many solar energy plants throughout the Southwest.

• The Energy Blog: Pickens Wind Farm to Get Underway (April 19, 2008)