Company plans $100M wind farm in Hardin Co.
DOLA — A company plans to construct a $100 million wind turbine farm in northern Hardin County which would generate 50 megawatts of electric power, enough for 12,000 homes.
JW Great Lakes Wind, Cleveland, held a public hearing this week to present its plans for the farm, which would be located on about 3,400 acres in northern Hardin County, west of Dola and north of Ohio 81.
The company would construct 19 to 27 wind turbines, project manager Peter Endres said. Each turbine would be 410 to 480 feet high, with 150-foot-long blades.
The Cleveland company would operate the farm and sell electricity generated at the site, he said. The electricity would tie into American Electric Power’s Dunkirk substation, south of the Hancock County line.
Other companies also are looking at Hardin County to establish wind farms, said John Hohn, vice president for economic development at Hardin County Chamber and Business Alliance.
Five wind-generation companies have options on 45,000 acres of land in the county, he said.
“There is good wind, we’re close to power grid lines, and we have received good cooperation from government agencies,” Hohn said.
Also, Endres said, there are “few environmental risks,” such as sensitive animal or aquatic species, the county is agriculture-based, and there has been community support for development of wind power.
A state law passed last year mandates a percentage of renewable energy be provided by power companies.
“This was the second public hearing,” Hohn said. “We’re still in the early stages, but we’re heading in the right direction.”
It has taken about two years to get this far, Hohn said.
The company will seek plan approval from the state’s Power Siting Board, which could take eight months to a year.
Construction could begin by late next year or early 2011, Endres said, and electricity production could begin by mid- to late 2011.
About 100 jobs would be created during construction, he said.
Also, the company is acquiring land in southern Hardin County for construction of a second wind farm, Endres said, which would generate about 100 to 150 megawatts of power and cost about twice as much. There are higher voltage transmission lines in the southern portion of the county, he said.
The economic impact for the county could be $12 million, Hohn said, with contracts, materials, food and gas. That is the amount generated by a similar-sized project in New York state.
About four to five full-time jobs would be created at the two wind farms for turbine maintenance and operation, said Endres.
By Jim Maurer
Staff Writer
3 July 2009
Tags: Wind power, Wind energy
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