March 1, 2012
Illinois

Baileyville wind farm’s timetable backed up

By Vinde Wells, Shaw News Service, www.saukvalley.com 1 March 2012

OREGON – Construction on the Baileyville Wind Project won’t begin until fall at the earliest, not spring, as had been hoped, a spokesman said.

“There’s still a possibility of starting construction in 2012, but it won’t be completed until 2013,” said Kent Dougherty, Apex Wind Energy’s development manager.

The effects of lawsuits filed in 2006 and not settled until this summer caused the delay, he said.

“A lot of things had to come together to begin this year.”

He is working with the Ogle County Highway Department on a road-use agreement for the project, Dougherty said.

And Apex has yet to submit its sound modeling, shadow flicker and decommissioning plans, all requirements of its special-use permit, county Zoning Administrator Mike Reibel said.

The Charlottesville, Va.-based company bought the Baileyville project from Navitas-Gamesa last year.

The County Board granted Navitas officials the special-use permit needed to build the wind farm in Maryland and Leaf River townships on Dec. 20, 2005. Opponents sued almost immediately in county and federal courts, blocking the project for several years.

The plan approved by the County Board in 2005 called for 40 windmills to be built over 5,000 acres. The wind towers were to be 400 feet tall and each built on a 16-foot concrete base. It would take about 40 acres of farmland out of production.

That plan has changed very little, except that the turbines to be used will be quieter and work more efficiently than those in the 2005 plan, Dougherty said.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2012/03/01/baileyville-wind-farms-timetable-backed-up/