Duke Energy Company of Charlotte, North Carolina, is planning to build a 300 megawatt wind farm east of Sebastian in southeastern Willacy County.

The firm has done a feasibility study and is now attempting to secure leases from property owners in the area.

A public relations spokesman for Duke Energy told the Chronicle/News Tuesday that his company will ask county commissioners at a special meeting Monday for tax abatements and the designation of certain property as a "Reinvestment Zone".

Commissioners will consider such things as the retention or expansion of employment such a major investment in the county would bring and contribute to the economic development of the county.

A public hearing will take place Monday at 6p.m. in the Commissioners Courtroom on West Main Street in Raymondville. Such a Reinvestment Zone if approved will be known as the Las Palmas Reinvestment Zone No. 1. Interested parties are invited to attend the meeting.

Gregory G. Efthimiou said that the company currently has 735 megawatts of wind power coming from wind farms in three states, Texas, Wyoming and Pennsylvania.

Two projects are under construction in Wyoming and Colorado that will add 251 more megawatts of power to Duke Energy's total production by the end of 2010.

The Willacy project is still on the drawing board but if a buyer can be found to contract for the energy produced, the wind farm could be under construction in 2011.

In October, 2009 commissioners created a Reinvestment Zone east of Raymondville at the request of E.ON Climate and Renewables.

Matthew McCluskey of E.ON said 150 to 300 construction jobs could be created as early as Oct. 2010.

Kenedy County already has two wind farms and there is a new one in San Patricio County.

Wind turbines can be as tall as 40 stories, or 394 feet. A single turbine blade is over 100 feet long and can weigh about 12,000 lbs. The towers are made of steel and the blades are made of fiber glass reinforced polyester. The blades automatically rotate to face the wind and do not begin to operate until the wind speed is 9 miles an hour. When winds reach 55 miles an hour the wind turbines automatically shut down.