October 6, 2011
Ohio

Details of wind farm proposed for Seneca, Hancock

By Nick Dutro - Staff Writer, The Advertiser-Tribune, www.advertiser-tribune.com 5 October 2011

ARCADIA Residents from Seneca and Hancock counties had a chance Tuesday evening to collect information concerning a 133.2-megawatt wind farm project coming to the area.

Representatives of TCI Renewables, established in North America in 2006, were on hand at an open house at Arcadia Lion Community Center, 301 W. Brown Road.

TCI has more than a dozen projects in process or under construction in the United States and Canada. The 15,000-acre wind farm proposed for Big Spring and Loudon townships in Seneca County and Biglick and Washington townships in Hancock is one of two projects in Ohio, with another being developed in Crawford County.

Rory Cantwell, project developer, said the number and size of wind turbines involved has not been determined. He said he expects turbines to be rated between 1.5 to 2.5 megawatts, leading to a wind farm of 46 to 88 turbines. The largest turbines would be about 493 feet to the top of the rotor. Completed turbines are to take up about 1 1/2 acres for the machines and access roads. A TCI representative said farmers can farm up to the turbines and use the access roads as part of the lease agreements.

According to maps provided by TCI, turbines would not be visible from Loudon Meadows golf course. The closest turbines to the campus of Arcadia High School are 1.8 miles away and the closest to New Riegel are to be 3 miles away.

Cantwell said construction is to begin in spring 2013, with a tentative completion date of December 2013. The wind farm is to be in operation about 20 years, with options to continue lease agreements or decommission the project.

About 150-200 jobs are to be created during peak construction and eight to 12 employees are to be retained after the wind farm is operational.

Other wind farm projects being developed in Seneca County include a 185-megawatt project proposed by NextEra Energy for Bloom and Venice townships in Seneca County and Lykens and Chatfield townships in Crawford County, and a 200-megawatt project proposed by Nordex near Bellevue, involving Seneca and Sandusky counties.

Seneca County commissioners have discussed making the county an Alternative Energy Zone, which would lower taxes levied on renewable energy generation. Crawford County already has been established as an alternative energy zone.