April 4, 2022
Iowa

Supervisors hear update on Delaware County wind farm proposal

By Mike Putz | Manchester Press | Telegraph Herald | www.telegraphherald.com

MANCHESTER, Iowa – The Delaware County supervisors recently heard a presentation from Greenbacker Capital on its application to repower the Elk Wind Farm.

The 17-turbine wind farm sits between Greeley and Edgewood.

The plan calls for increasing rotor diameters by 90 feet and increasing the overall turbine height by 45 feet to generate more electricity.

Justin Fike, of Greenbacker Capital, said if the application is approved, plans call for the replacement of the original turbine nacelle, hub, blades and internal turbine components with new equipment. The existing foundations and towers will be reused, with a tower adaptor connecting the existing towers to the new nacelles. The project calls for the old turbine blades to be recycled.

Fike said the project will extend the life of the farm and improve reliability while increasing payments to participating landowners and providing high-quality construction jobs.

Greenbacker Capital plans to use a Self Propelled Modular Transport (SPMT) to transport cranes along public and existing access roads. Fike said the SPMT will eliminate crane walks across cropland and reduce crop damage and compaction on landowners’ properties.

Greenbacker Capital would have contractors who have used the SPMT provide information about its effectiveness to the supervisors, according to Fike.

In response, County Engineer Anthony Bardgett said he wanted to see axle data and examples of other counties that have used the SPMT.

If approved, construction is estimated to take four to six months. Fike said the company plans to submit an application “relatively soon.”

The supervisors took no action on the application or project following the presentation.


URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2022/04/04/supervisors-hear-update-on-delaware-county-wind-farm-proposal/