The detachment of a wind turbine blade at the Prairie Queen Wind Farm last month triggered a safety review of all 59 turbines, said representatives from EDP Renewables, which operates the wind farm.
Prairie Queen remains online and is generating electricity, representatives confirmed, though not every turbine runs at every moment. At times, turbines are stopped temporarily for inspections and maintenance. That’s been the case over the last several weeks, as turbines have been rotated offline for safety inspections.
On April 1, a single blade detached from a wind turbine and fell straight down, landing at the base of the tower. EDP Renewables confirmed no injuries occurred or damage outside of the turbine.
The 199-megawatt capacity wind farm, which came online in 2019, produces enough electricity to meet the average annual consumption of more than 54,700 Kansas homes, based on data from the Energy Information Administration. Evergy purchases energy from Prairie Queen.
Prairie Queen supports 12 permanent, full-time operation jobs. It’s managed by an Area Operations Manager who splits duties between Prairie Queen and Waverly Wind Farm, a Coffey County wind farm installed in 2015.
EDP Renewables continues to make annual payments of $250,000 to Allen County, part of a 10-year Payment In Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) plan that was agreed to in 2017 when Allen County entered into an agreement with EDP Renewables.
The county agreed to abate property taxes for 10 years in exchange for the annual payments. The current balance of the fund is $292,241.85. The last scheduled payment will occur in 2029.
Afterwards, EDP Renewables will pay property taxes on the wind farm. Allen County Appraiser Danielle Louk estimates annual payments will be between $800,000 and $1.2 million, based on recent tax information. Capital investment in the project is estimated to be around $338 million.
Repairs and inspections at Prairie Queen are still ongoing, representatives confirmed, as turbines return to service and are cleared by technicians.
“Prairie Queen delivers reliable, homegrown, affordable clean power to the regional electric grid while generating more than $12.5 million for the local economy,” said Amy Varghese, head of communications for EDP Renewables.
“We are proud of the substantial benefits Prairie Queen brings to Allen County, including jobs, revenue for public services, and steady income for landowners. As long-term project operators and neighbors, we are committed to working hand-in-hand with our community to ensure residents are kept informed about any site developments, and we encourage anyone with questions to reach out to our team at any time,” Varghese said.
Varghese said area residents should contact 713-997-7122 or email PrairieQueenWind@edpr.com with questions or concerns. The wind farm’s operations and maintenance office is located at 1699 3400th Street, Moran.
