Wind farm construction draws near

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August 11, 2017 - 12:00 AM

MORAN — Construction of a wind farm north and west of Moran is expected to begin come spring 2018.
Rorik Peterson, EDP Renewables associate development director, confirmed at a come-and-go session here Tuesday evening sufficient land had been committed and “we’re working on the development plan.”
The wind farm will occupy parcels scattered among 15,000 acres and be capable of generating 200 megawatts of power through 60 or fewer turbines.
Peterson, who works from the company’s Overland Park office, said EDP officials will share the development plan with Alan Weber, Allen County counselor, before they seek approval for a special use permit from the county’s planning commission.
Another component is a permit to construct a substation at the east edge of Allen County, so power generated by the wind-driven turbines can be directed into the electrical grid.
At the start, EDP talked often about acquiring construction rights on 20,000 acres, but as the project has evolved, and projected turbine size has increased, fewer acres were deemed necessary.
EDP anticipates erecting 55 to 60 turbines, each capable of producing 3.5 megawatts of power. For comparison’s sake, EDP’s wind farm near Waverly in Coffey County has 95 turbines with capacity of about 2.1 megawatts each, to generate a little less than 200 megawatts.
EDP does not have firm commitment from end users or utilities to purchase power from the Allen County field. However, Peterson said the company was confident contracts would be in place by the time the turbines began producing, about a year after construction starts.
Power from the Waverly field is purchased by Kansas City Power and Light.
The way power is sold, it goes into a common carrier, or grid. Units of power are mixed one with another and become X number of total. Buyers, for immediate use or a utility, remove power much as a motorist would gasoline from an underground tank at a service station.

TURBINES populating Allen County’s field will reach 570 feet, whenever one of three blades is at its zenith.
Peterson said because of the aerial obstruction aspect, “we have to meet more robust FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) regulations than if it were less than 500 feet.” Even so, “because the field won’t be in the flight pattern (of commercial aircraft) or have radar nearby,” winning FAA approval shouldn’t be difficult.
While land acquired is enough for what EDP has planned, the company is continuing to acquire acreage. “The more we have the more flexible we can be with turbine location, as well as underground lines (to connect to the substation) and access roads,” Peterson said.
He repeatedly has said the company will work closely with the county to ensure public roads and bridges are as good after construction as they were before. Access roads on private property will be constructed and maintained with landowners’ input, he said.
County planners earlier put together an extensive set of regulation benchmarks that EDP, or any company, will have to meet before acquiring permission to build.

BY THE TIME the wind farm is up and producing, EDP expects to have spent more than $300 million.
Kansas law once gave wind farms a lifetime property tax exemption. The Legislature recently changed the exemption to 10 years.
EDP — and all such companies in Kansas — make a payment in lieu of taxes (PILOT) during their tax exemption period. In a conversation a couple of months ago, EDP offered Allen County a PILOT of $200,000 a year; it pays Coffey County about $500,000 annually for the Waverly complex.
Peterson didn’t hedge on the figure, but agreed negotiations between EDP and county commissioners would occur before the two parties settled on an amount.
When the wind farm goes on tax rolls, it will be appraised locally, although Kansas Department of Revenue guidelines for assessment and depreciation are made available for local appraisers, such as Allen County’s Sandy Drake.
Landowners are paid a lease fee, determined by involvement of their acreage.
When construction reaches the point where tower assemblies begin to arrive, the process is bound to attract attention. Blades and the working assembly to which they are attached are massive, and amazing to see up-close, observed Bill Hillbrant, one of those viewing EDP posters Tuesday night. He should know, having spent a lifetime working in construction and related fields.
The next public event featuring the EDP wind farm will be when application is made to the county planning commission, with discussion in a public setting. Planners then will make a recommendation to county commissioners, who have final say.

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