(IsraelNN.com) The government has granted a permit for the Mei Golan Wind Energy Development Company to go ahead with a $500 million project for a wind farm over a 140-kilometer (87 mile) area. Infrastructure Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer (Labor) approved the project, which had been authorized by the Public Utilities Authority, Globes reported.

Mei Golan built Israel's first wind farm 16 years ago in the northern Golan. It has 10 wind turbines and generates six megawatts, most of the electivity being used by local factories.

The new project is designed to generate 400 megawatts.

The soaring price of crude oil has been the idea of wind turbines more feasible economically. Several wind turbines have been operating elsewhere, with one on Kibbutz Ma'aleh Gilboa, located on the Gilboa hills above Beit Shean. An experimental wind turbine in the Southern Hevron Hills was abandoned several years ago because of high maintenance costs.

Studies have been carried out to build other wind farms to utilize heavy winds in the Golan and the Southern Hevron Hills, where winds often reach gale force velocity.