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| 7/5/2007 | Email this article • Print this article | Wind farm project may begin in southern Ida County
by BETH WOLTERMAN
A major wind farm project may start to appear on the horizon in southern Ida County as early as next spring, if proposed plans continue to move forward.
Representatives of Invenergy LLC, based in Chicago, Ill., met with nearly 60 landowners at BozWellz in Ida Grove last month to explain their proposed wind farm, highlight their company and answer questions. One or two more meetings are being planned to talk to other landowners that could fit into the project, nearly 180 in all.
Joel Link, Midwest business development director for the worldwide company, and Greg Harshberger, project site manager, as well as two of their Iowa site managers led the initial meeting.
The company is proposing to erect between 66 and 133 wind turbines in an area encompassing Garfield, Grant and Hayes Townships in southern Ida County. Link said it would span a large area south of Battle Creek and Ida Grove and there was "plenty of land to do a nice-sized project."
Annual production from the project would be about 648,000 MWh or enough to power 66,000 Iowa homes. Estimated construction would begin in the spring of 2008 or 2009, with a commercial operation date of December 2008 or 2009.
The project would create 100 to 160 short term construction jobs and 15 to 25 full-time jobs. It would take six to nine months to complete, ideally starting in the spring and ending in the fall. Turbine density for the Ida County project would be two to three turbines per 160 acres.
Each turbine has a hub height of 213 to 148 feet and a blade length of 120 to 148 feet, and is valued at about $1.7 million. Generally every third turbine is also lit to meet FAA lighting compliance.
The project description states that winds are expected to be "very strong" in the area. Invenergy will be installing at least two 198-foot wind monitoring stations or "test towers" in the area this year to gather wind data. The stations record the wind speed every 10 minutes. Environmental, electrical interconnection and transmission studies will be done, but the most important part of the relationship is with the landowners, Link said.
Landowners chosen and agreeing to "host" a turbine(s) on their farm would receive an annual $4,500 royalty per turbine that would increase 2 percent each year for the life of the 25-year contract. The contract includes a 10-year extension option. Each landowner receives the same royalty, as well as a fee per acre for easements.
Each turbine would need a 16-foot access road constructed of compacted gravel which the landowner can also use.
Link told the group that it is early in the project and it could fail due to wind study results, but expressed confidence the project would fly.
"We believe it's a great site and we're going to work it hard," Link said.
Tax revenue from the proposed project would support the county, townships and the school district.
The representatives distributed packettes containing easements for the landowners to review and asked for a response within 45 days.
Link said the biggest hurdle is the visual change it creates to the countryside. Some landowners are generally opposed to the visual appearance of the turbines, but that has not been a big problem in Iowa.
Who is Invenergy?
Invenergy is a developer, owner and operator of large scale wind energy generation projects and one of the top five wind energy developers in North America based on constructed projects over the last several years. It's the largest independent wind energy developer in the U.S.-independent meaning unassociated with a large corporate parent.
Headquartered in Chicago, it has offices worldwide including Denver, Washington, D.C., Milwaukee, Toronto, Austin, Texas; London and Warsaw.
The company currently has more than $1.1 billion in wind energy projects in operation or late stage construction. They are active in 25 states, five provinces and nine countries, with more than 60 projects in active development.
The Carroll and Crawford County "Victory" project featuring 66 turbines was built by Invenergy under a "build-transfer" approach where MidAmerican Energy purchased the project once it was completed.
Link said that MidAmerican would be a likely candidate to purchase the Ida County project as well, once it was completed.
The "Victory" project can be seen from Highway 59 on the eastern horizon south of Schleswig. Turbines in the "Victory" project are the same that would be erected in Ida County.
Why wind?
Wind is the fuel which promotes independence from foreign energy sources. There is no price volatility, unlike fossil fuels. Wind energy is a green power technology with no air pollutants, or greenhouse gases, no harmful wastes and no water use.
Wind turbines are compatible with agriculture, taking only a third to a half of an acre out of production. Iowa currently ranks third in the country for the largest amount of installed wind turbines, behind Texas and California.
Sound levels from turbines are generally quiet. They are setback from inhabited homes a minimum of 700 feet, depending on whether or not you are "hosting" a turbine on your property.
Invenergy representatives reviewed a number of myths regarding wind turbines and reviewed their safety features during the meeting. Turbines have safety devices built it to ensure a safe operation. In extremely high winds, they shut down and the blades tilt into the wind.
The turbines have a 20 to 30 year life and their components are designed to last at least 25 years. Once they have reached their life span, there is a decommissioning plan to remove them.
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