November 19, 2015
Illinois

Wind farm under consideration in Logan County

Kevin Barlow | The Pantagraph | November 18, 2015 | www.pantagraph.com

ATLANTA – Rural landowners in the Atlanta, Beason and Chestnut areas soon may hear from land agents about a possible wind farm, according to the executive director of the Logan County Economic Development Partnership.

“We have been in discussions with Invenergy LLC for a couple of months,” Bill Thomas said. “There haven’t been any final decisions yet, but they will begin sending out representatives to begin talking about leasing the property, which is the initial step in the process.”

Invenergy is an energy development company based in Chicago.

“We are in a preliminary stage of development for a potential wind project in Logan County,” said Mary Ryan, the company’s senior manager of public relations. “Over the next several months, land agents will be in the area talking to landowners and local officials, while working on signing land easements.”

Allyson Sand, a development manager with the company, spoke with members of the Logan County Board last week. Details about the size and the scope of the project are still under consideration, she said.

The area is a good fit for a wind farm, Thomas said.

“We don’t have any wind farms in that area and there is a transmission line in the right spot for it,” he said. “This is part of our overall strategic plan. Another wind farm brings in additional taxes as well as revenue in the form of permits and fees. Our roads would also be improved.”

If approved, the Invenergy project would be the fourth wind farm in Logan County. The $200 million Rail Splitter Wind Farm is a 67-turbine wind farm in northern Logan County and southern Tazewell County that went online in 2009. About 100 turbines are expected to be built for the $300 million Sugar Creek Wind Farm, which was approved in 2012, but has yet to be built. The $400 million Meridian Wind Farm was approved in July, but construction has not started.

Earlier this year, Invenergy sought to place a wind farm in Livingston County but that county board rejected the plan due to concerns that residents would be negatively affected by a wind farm in the southeastern portion of the county. Invenergy is appealing that decision.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2015/11/19/wind-farm-under-consideration-in-logan-county/