Pickens push to boost US wind power

Texan oil tycoon T Boone Pickens has outlined his campaign to boost US wind power production and cut the country’s dependence on oil within 10 years.

The move, dubbed the Pickens Plan, would see the development of wind farms along the centre of the country from Canada in the north to Texas in the south, to produce more than 20 per cent of the country’s energy.

Pickens said that once wind power is generating electricity, natural gas can be shifted to transport fuel, cutting dependence on oil.

"This plan provides a bridge to the future where renewable energy can become an even greater portion of our energy framework," said Pickens.

"I am calling on the next president and congress to take immediate action in the first 100 days of the new administration to do whatever is necessary to make this plan a reality."

The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), the trade association representing the US wind energy industry, welcomed the campaign and said that the plan to increase wind power quickly on this scale is feasible if the government puts in place the right policies, beginning with a renewal of the production tax credit.

"Earlier this year, the US Department of Energy confirmed that wind can generate 20 per cent of US electricity supply by 2030," said AWEA executive director Randall Swisher.

"To make this happen, the US government will need to play its part and enact short and long-term policies to transform many of our current practices," he added.