April 6, 2019
Ohio

State board suspends hearing schedule for wind farm project

By Norwalk Reflector staff | Apr 5, 2019 | www.norwalkreflector.com

COLUMBUS – The Ohio Power Siting Board (OPSB) on Friday suspended the hearings scheduled in the Seneca Wind Farm case, including the local public hearing previously set for April 23 in Tiffin, and the evidentiary hearing set to begin May 16 in Columbus.

On Thursday, Seneca Wind, LLC and the OPSB staff filed a joint motion to suspend the hearing schedule to allow additional time for Seneca Wind to provide the staff with information required for the staff to complete its report of investigation.

The OPSB will establish a new hearing schedule at a later date.

The proposed Seneca Wind Farm would be situated on approximately 56,900 acres of leased private land in Scipio, Reed, Venice, Eden, and Bloom townships. The facility would consist of up to 77 wind turbines with a total generating capacity of up to 212 megawatts.

Additional information regarding the proposed wind farm is available on the OPSB website at www.OPSB.ohio.gov in case number 18-0488-EL-BGN.

Meanwhile, the approval process is continuing for two other area wind farm projects.

A public hearing about the Republic Wind project in Seneca and Sandusky counties is scheduled for 5 to 9:30 p.m. May 14 at Bellevue High School, 200 Oakland Ave., Bellevue.

The purpose of the local public hearing is to allow interested persons, who are not parties to the case, to provide testimony regarding the project.

An adjudicatory hearing for Republic Wind LLC is scheduled for 10 a.m. June 3 at 180 E. Broad St., Hearing Room 11-A in Columbus.

The purpose of the adjudicatory hearing is to allow formal parties to the case to present pre-filed testimony and evidence, and to cross-examine other parties’ witnesses. The OPSB rescheduled the adjudicatory hearing in response to a motion filed by a group of local residents, who are a party to the case, to revise the procedural schedule.

Republic Wind’s wind-powered electric generation proposal consists of up to 50 wind turbines in Adams, Reed, Scipio, and Thompson townships in Seneca County and York Township in Sandusky County. The wind farm would have a total generating capacity of up to 200 megawatts.

As for Apex Clean Energy’s proposal to place up to 71 wind turbines in Erie and Huron counties as part of its Emerson Creek Wind Project, a public hearing on the matter took place Wednesday at the Bellevue VFW, 6104 U.S. 20.

The applicant for Emerson Creek, Firelands Wind, LLC, seeks state approval for a wind-powered electric generation facility consisting of up to 71 wind turbines with a maximum total generating capacity of approximately 297.66 megawatts.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Michael Harrington of Tandem Media Network contributed to this story.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2019/04/06/state-board-suspends-hearing-schedule-for-wind-farm-project/