September 28, 2011
Ohio

Developers explain wind turbine proposal

By JIM MAURER, STAFF WRITER, www.reviewtimes.com 27 September 2011

TIFFIN – Two employees with Nordex USA, Inc., a German-based company with Chicago offices, met briefly with the Seneca County Commissioners Monday to reiterate the company’s desire to construct and operate a wind turbine farm near Bellevue.

Laura Caspari, project developer, and Timothy Vought, senior project development manager, discussed the proposal to construct 80 to 85 wind turbines on property in Sandusky and Seneca counties. The wind farm would generate 150 to 200 megawatts of electricity. Construction would begin in 2013 and the company would operate it, too.

Once constructed, there would be about 10 jobs at the site.

The turbine blades would be about 160 feet long and the tower would be 490 feet high, he said.

The longer the blades, the more energy can be produced from the wind, Commissioner President Dave Sauber said.

The company has no meteorological towers, placed to calculate wind and weather conditions prior to development, or any active wind farms in Ohio.

But the company is looking at 20 to 25 sites throughout the country, Vought said. The company has a turbine manufacturing plant in Jonesboro, Ark.

With more than 25 years experience, the company has operations in 13 countries.

The company has to complete environmental surveys on the property as the next step, Vought said, and submit the plans to the state’s Power Siting Board for final approval.

Commissioners met with the Sandusky County commissioners last month to discuss the project and requirements to establish an alternative energy zone. The company was misidentified during those discussions.

The energy zone designation would allow the company to make payment in lieu of taxes. Maximum payment would be $9,000 per megawatt with the payments split between Bettsville and Old Fort school districts in Seneca County, the county and townships.

Most of the wind turbines would be in Seneca County, Vought said. The annual payments are made whether electricity is generated or not.

“We don’t expect to qualify for current federal tax credits,” Vought said, but the company hopes the tax credits will be extended.

Caspari said the alternative energy zone is “crucial” for the project. The commissioners have voiced support for the energy zone and she said county approval “sooner is great.”

“We don’t have control over it (the project) once the state approves,” Sauber said after the meeting.

Nordex is the third company looking to place wind turbines in the county.

A company is looking at land in Seneca and Hancock County, while another company is looking at the Bloomville area including property in Crawford and Seneca counties.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2011/09/28/developers-explain-wind-turbine-proposal/