April 11, 2021
Michigan

Planners approve Deerfield 2 site plan

Portion of project takes place on county-zoned land | Robert Creenan | Huron Daily Tribune | April 10, 2021 | www.michigansthumb.com

The Huron County Planning Commission has approved a site plan review for the next phase of the Deerfield Wind Energy farm as some of the project takes place on county-zoned land.

The approval is subject to the Huron County Board of Commissioners approving the decommissioning security from the wind farm’s owners.

While the turbines for the project will be in Huron Township, which is a self-zoned township, an expansion to an existing electrical substation, underground collection lines, transmission lines, and other infrastructure would take place in an existing wind energy overlay zoning district in a neighboring township.

Algonquin Power’s plans for the second phase include constructing 21 new turbines that can produce between 2.65 MW and 6MW of power, be between 263 and 390 in height, and provide power for up to 100,000 homes.

Over 80 landowners covering approximately 8,500 acres of land would be participating in this project, with the turbines taking up fewer than 10 acres. Algonquin also received waivers from seven landowners, as seven turbines were found to exceed the county’s current noise standards.

The second phase of the farm already received special use permits from the Huron Township planners at a December 2020 meeting.

Roberto Caputo, the main Algonquin Power representative speaking for the project, had previously said that once they get all their project permits in place by the first quarter of 2022, Liberty Power will mobilize construction by the end of that quarter and start operations by the end of the third quarter in 2022.

There was also discussion during the meeting about combining the bonds and decommissioning costs of the first and second phases of this wind farm, with Caputo saying that was something he needed to dig into more on his end.

During a public comment portion for the meeting, one person in attendance spoke in support of the project, saying that he believes its zoned in a good spot and is beneficial to have here.

Renn also read a letter from Bingham Township resident Dennis Mausolf where he says that someone who previously voiced their support for the turbines should see the county at night when the red flashing lights on the turbines are on. He continued by saying there are enough turbines in the area and we do not need to be bullied by developers.


URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2021/04/11/planners-approve-deerfield-2-site-plan/