October 24, 2015
Oklahoma

Wind projects moving forward in Grant, Kingfisher counties

Emily Summars | Enid News & Eagle | October 24, 2015 | www.enidnews.com

APEX Clean Energy continues to move forward with two area wind projects in Grant and Kingfisher counties.

APEX is holding open houses for the Grant Wind project in north Grant County. The project will be near the Oklahoma-Kansas border near U.S. 81.

APEX spokesman Jason Sorter said APEX holds public meetings for all of its projects.

“The timeline and frequency are determined by the needs of the community and the specifics of the project,” he said about meeting dates.

Sorter said the most recent open house, which took place Oct. 12, was the first opportunity community members could learn more about the project.

“Our open house events feature no specific agenda or presentation,” Sorter said. “They are more of an open format with large information boards containing maps, project descriptions, and general information about wind energy.”

The Grant Wind project is under construction and is expected to be completed in early 2016. The project could power more than 56,000 homes and consists of 66 wind turbines.

Power from the project will be purchased by Western Farmer’s Electric Cooperative, Northeast Texas Electric Cooperative and Eastern Texas Electric Cooperative, according to the project’s website.

The other project in Grant County is the Great Plains Wind project. It is expected to be completed in 2016 and is located further north than the Grant Wind project, according to APEX’s website.

Two more projects also are under way in Kingfisher County.

The Campbell Creek Wind project is the newest addition. Sorter said the project is being considered for development. He said no timeline had been set for the project but according to APEX’s website, the project is set to be completed in 2018.

The Kingfisher Wind project continues to move forward, regardless of ongoing litigation.

Residents in Kingfisher and Canadian counties remain in a legal battle with the company over the Kingfisher Wind Project. The battle began more than a year ago. The plaintiffs filed a motion to advance the case and seek a permanent injunction because the process of adding wind turbines to the area has begun.

The motion to advance the case was denied, and the court will set a schedule in the case, including a future trial date.

However, Sorter said the project is scheduled to be completed before the end of 2015 as previously set.

The project is one of the larger conducted in northwest Oklahoma by APEX. It’s capacity is estimated to be 300 megawatt. The Grant County projects are estimated to be 150 megawatt.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2015/10/24/wind-projects-moving-forward-in-grant-kingfisher-counties/