| Wind Watch is a registered educational charity, founded in 2005. |
Wind Power News: Nebraska
These news and opinion items are gathered by National Wind Watch in its noncommercial educational mission to help keep readers informed about developments related to industrial wind energy. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions of National Wind Watch. They are the products of and owned by the organizations or individuals noted and are shared here according to “fair use” and “fair dealing” provisions of copyright law. The original articles, links to which are provided, may have additional links and photos and other media that were not included here.
OPPD customer raises concerns about utility’s spending to curtail wind energy
In the last five years, OPPD paid wind energy suppliers more than $17 million in compensable curtailments, which means power wasn’t being generated at the time. Throwing money into a fire pit. That’s what one OPPD customer, David Begley, feels the power company is doing. “That’s a failure to me,” said Begley. “You can just get some 20 dollar bills, throw them in and you can burn 9 million bucks.” Here’s why Begley says that: According to a public records . . . Complete story »
Knox County gets favorable ruling in wind developer lawsuit against its regulations
A federal judge on Friday handed down a 40-page ruling pertaining to Knox County’s motion to dismiss a lawsuit filed by a wind company that sued the county over amended zoning regulations adverse to wind energy. U.S. District Judge John Gerrard granted in part and denied in part Knox County’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit filed by North Fork Wind LLC last August. In a statement, the county board of supervisors said the judge’s opinion is a “substantial victory for . . . Complete story »
Two men die in fall from northeast Nebraska wind turbine
An equipment failure resulted in the deaths of two maintenance crew members Friday after they fell from a wind turbine in northeast Nebraska. Eddy Noriega Sebinet, 46, and Raidel Justiz Noriega, 37, both of Las Vegas, Nevada, were pronounced deceased at the scene, according to a statement Sunday from the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office. The incident occurred south of Winside following an equipment failure, the statement said. The Winside Volunteer Fire Department assisted deputies at the scene. Winside is a . . . Complete story »
Supers OK new regs for wind farms
More than a year of research and discussion ended last week when the Burt County Board of Supervisors approved a new slate of zoning regulations governing wind energy development in the county. On a 6-1 vote, supervisors approved Section 6.03 of the county’s zoning manual. The vote followed more than three hours of discussion that saw the board approving changes to the document as each subsection was read. District 5 Supervisor Jeff Kutchera cast the dissenting vote in approving the . . . Complete story »
Knox County sued over nixed wind farm development
A Minnesota-based wind company and a group of landowners have filed a lawsuit against Knox County over the county’s decision to amend its zoning regulations and effectively kill a wind energy project. North Fork Wind LLC of Bloomington, Minnesota, and 12 Knox County landowners filed suit on Friday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Nebraska against Knox County, its board of supervisors, planning commission and zoning administrator, as well as a group of wind energy opponents. The . . . Complete story »
County Commission hears arguments for changing wind turbine zoning regulations, extends moratorium
After approving an extension to the moratorium imposed earlier this month on zoning regulations for wind farms in Madison County, county commissioners heard from a handful of residents from across the region on why the regulations should be changed. The discussion came after a contentious joint planning commission meeting on July 18 at Northeast Community College’s Lifelong Learning Center, where more than 100 members of the public attended. After a two-hour back-and-forth between supporters and opponents of the regulations, the . . . Complete story »
Controlled explosions used to demolish old wind turbines in northeast Lincoln
Lincoln Electric System announced that two wind turbines have been removed after nearly 25 years of operation. LES started the preparation process of the demolition midway through June and removed the wind turbines Tuesday morning. The first turbine collapsed due to a controlled explosion at its base. Shortly afterward, the second turbine fell due to its own controlled explosion. “We didn’t want to draw the public to the area when explosive materials were being used. The safety of our employees . . . Complete story »
Dust in the wind: Nebraska’s oldest operating wind turbines to be removed
The cost of decommissioning and deconstructing the turbines was estimated to be $600,000. The oldest continuously operating wind turbines in Nebraska are coming down in July, changing a landmark seen while driving into northeast Lincoln along Interstate 80. Lincoln Electric System’s two 290-foot-tall turbines north of I-80 near North 70th Street have reached the end of their productive runs and will be removed, LES announced Monday. They were two of the earliest examples of what utility-class wind production in Nebraska . . . Complete story »
The Air Force asks Congress to protect its nuclear launch sites from encroaching wind turbines
“They’re monstrous, and then you have gigantic blades spinning on them as well. Not only is that a physical obstacle, but those turbines, they create the hazards like turbulence as well. That can be really dangerous for us to fly into. So it’s a very complex situation, when you have to deal with those.” Complete story »
Wind energy public hearing approaches, opinion poll circulates
On Monday, Oct. 2 at 10 a.m. in the Lincoln County district courtroom on the third floor of the courthouse, the county commissioners will hold a public hearing to take testimony in support or opposition of proposed changes to zoning regulations of large-scale, commercial and utility-grade wind and solar energy developments. At least two major developers have taken steps to build wind generators in Lincoln County. In 2020, the company, Invenergy, negotiated a contract with NCORPE to build generators about . . . Complete story »
