May 21, 2008
Indiana

BZA approves wind energy test towers

The Randolph County Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) Monday unanimously approved a petition for a wind energy company to install test towers at two locations in the county.

“We are looking to develop a wind farm here in Randolph County to convert wind to electrical power,” said Ryan Brown, a project development manager for Horizon Wind Energy. “Our goal right now is to collect wind data to help us make decisions regarding the establishment of a wind farm in the county.”

He said the test towers are temporary structures that look like small cell phone towers. They will be installed by the end of June, at the latest, and will be in place and collecting data for two years. The test towers are 197 feet tall and will be set back from power lines and roads.

Two Randolph County landowners have agreed to install the towers on their land. One tower will be located near the southeast corner of County Roads 200 West and 400 South with a second one near the northeast corner of 200 West and 700 South.

Horizon Wind Energy is currently involved in additional wind power projects at the border of White and Benton counties and also in Howard County.

Brown said the test towers will likely go up in a couple of weeks.

BZA approval is required before any tower is erected over 150 feet.

By Bill Richmond

Winchester News-Gazette

21 May 2008


URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2008/05/21/bza-approves-wind-energy-test-towers/