June 13, 2018
Nebraska

Tower considered by planning board

A 197-foot meteorological tower has been requested in Saline County, just outside of Tobias. The Planning and Zoning board will hold a public hearing June 19 in the assembly room of the Saline County courthouse at 7 p.m. to discuss further permission of the structure.

If approved, the tower will be built just outside of the Tobias area. Such towers are placed to study wind patterns of areas that have potential to house a wind farm.

APEX Clean Energy out of Virginia has been granted a permit to take on the project and as of 2017, a total of 4,500 acres has been leased for the wind farm project.

Lyle Weber, Saline County Planning and Zoning Administrator, said that the tower is not connected to the two wind farms outside of Milligan.

“This (meeting) is just an approval to get permission to start building, the application is yet to be filed with the county” he said.

A conditional permit for the meteorological tower was given by the Board of Commissioners back in December 2017. The June 19 meeting will be held to approve the land desired within the Tobias area.

“Conditional use applications require a public hearing,” Weber said.

The tower will be placed only temporarily, as they are meant to be.

Weber said that Saline County’s zoning committee has approved the construction of eight to 10 towers in the past.

APEX project developer Dylan Ikkala said that the wind farm project itself is in the early to mid stages. The presence of the meteorological tower will help to further it along.

“The tower will probably stay up for at least a year until the construction starts,” Ikkala said.

Ikkala said criteria for setting up a wind farm include such points as the presence of wind, safe distance from transmission lines and the welcome of the community.

The public is welcome to attend the hearing if interested.


URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2018/06/13/tower-considered-by-planning-board/