November 16, 2016
Iowa, Minnesota

100-turbine wind farm planned in Worth, Freeborn counties

BY MOLLY MONTAG | Globe Gazette | November 16, 2016 | globegazette.com

NORTHWOOD | A Chicago-based wind developer is speaking with Worth County landowners to secure leases for a portion of a $320 million wind farm.

Invenergy plans to spread 100 wind turbines between Freeborn County, Minnesota, and in Worth County. Called the Freeborn Wind Farm, the project will provide power to Xcel Energy customers in Minnesota.

Each of the project’s 265-foot turbines will be capable of producing 2 megawatts of power per hour.

Officials haven’t decided how many of the 100 turbines will be placed in Minnesota and how many will be in Iowa, said Dan Litchfield, senior manager of project development for Invenergy.

“It is primarily planned in Freeborn County, Minnesota, and that has been the plan all along, but for various reasons we’ve decided to look at extending the project into northern Worth County,” he said.

The portion in Iowa will be placed northeast of Northwood in Grove and Deer Creek townships. It will be north of an existing wind farm owned by another company.

Representatives from the company shared project details with the Worth County Board of Supervisors earlier this week.

The timeline calls for construction to begin in late 2018, with completion in 2020.

Additional information is available on the project’s website, www.freeborncountywind.com.

The Freeborn Wind Farm is one of two wind energy developments announced this year in North Iowa.

In July, Alliant Energy announced a $1 billion expansion of Whispering Willow Wind Farm in Franklin County.

Like the Freeborn Wind Farm, the Franklin County expansion is expected to produce up to 200 megawatts of energy.

Construction on the Whispering Willow expansion is slated for early 2018 with completion in early 2019.


URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2016/11/16/100-turbine-wind-farm-planned-in-worth-freeborn-counties/