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The Spion Kop wind project between Raynesford and Geyser is nearly half-way complete.

Construction started last fall, and now 10 of the 25 wind turbines stand tall, with the rest expected to be up and running by the end of the year.

Once complete, the farm could provide electricity for up to 10,000 homes.

The location was chosen quite deliberately; Ilan Caplan, vice president of Compass Winds, explained, "It was a combination of the quality wind resource, the infrastructure as it relates to the transmission and how it relates to the interconnection, and the local community support was a big factor as well."

The project is also making an impact on the surrounding communities; Caplan noted, "There's a pretty large population size of folks being used locally, whether it's through contractors or specific labor, so we try to do as much locally."

Bruce Bielluomini, a member of the Geyser School Board, said, "The generosity of compass wind, GE, Ryan Companies, and NorthWestern Energy - we got a $10,000 donation to our technology fund."