 | 5/7/2012 | County to hear from wind energy co. at tonight’s meeting |
In Southwest Kansas, it is a fact of life that the wind blows frequently, and some people have taken advantage of that with the advent of wind farms in the area to power electricity.
More turbines may be coming to the area, in particular to Seward and Meade County, in the near future. According to information from Energy For Generations, construction on the Cimarron Wind Project is expected be a phased build-out starting in 2014-2015.
Officials with E4G will talk to Seward County commissioners this evening about the milliwatt project.
The CWP holds long-term leases for about 45,000 contiguous acres, of which 2 to 3 percent will be disturbed by the project’s construction and operation.
“The project is designed to be compatible with the existing agricultural operations on the properties,” E4G officials said.
The CWP is located on a site with one of the top wind resources in the U.S., and wind data has been gathered since 2008 by meteorological towers across the site. Three years of data demonstrate average wind speeds of 9 meters per second at a hub height of 85 meters.
E4G also commissioned a portfolio of environmental studies in order to proactively identify and avoid any potentially sensitive environmental areas or species in the area.
A comprehensive environmental review as well as wetlands, habitat, cultural and avian assessments were also conducted by nationally-recognized environmental experts.
“All studies concluded that the project would create no significant adverse impacts,” E4G’s information said.
The company has executed a memorandum of understanding with Clean Line Energy, making for multiple transmission and delivery options, including:
• From Southwest Kansas to the eastern U.S.;
• From Northwest Oklahoma to the southeastern U.S.; and
• An interconnection to the Clark County substation near Minneola.
“A 345 kilovolt generation tie-line will be built to deliver the project’s generation to one of these transmission options,” E4G said in its information.
The Cimarron Wind Project is an Oklahoma limited liability company wholly owned by Energy For Generations.
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| 4/7/2010 | Commission okays county's first wind farm |
As winds gusted near 40 mph against the Seward County Administration building Monday night, the Seward County Commission reached an agreement with a wind energy company to capture future breezes whooshing through the county.
The commission unanimously approved a conditional use permit allowing the Cimarron Wind Project LLC access to develop the county's first wind energy farm in the northeast part of Seward.
The commission and the Meade County Commission have been working with two companies -- Tulsa-based Energy for Generations and California-based Sustainable Legacy -- for more than two years to build a wind energy farm to have a capacity of producing up to 1,000 megawatts. The majority of the farm will be built in Seward County with some towers crossing over into Meade County.
The two companies have joined together and named the Project. The 400 turbines will be installed on 59,000 acres. The turbines will be at a minimum of 900 feet apart and located at least 450 feet from public roads. Each individual turbine will produce 2.5 MW of power.
According to county documents, the wind power captured has the potential to generate enough power for 400,000 homes.
"We think this is a win-win situation for the county,” said Jeff Schlichting project manager. “There are benefits to the county as well as the project. We have the wind resource here. We've got a low-impact site.”
The wind farm will be completed in several phases, said Schlichting. Construction is set to begin in 2012. The two-year window will allow for proposed transmission lines to be completed by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.
“People have asked why don't you wait until those lines are done,” said Schlichting. “It is one of those things, if you wait until when it is defined, it is too late. We are working now and investing into this project. When the lines are ready, we will be ready.”
Schlichting said the Cimarron Wind Project has no company in contract to buy the wind energy, once the project is complete. Schlichting is optimistic and believes the company will encounter no trouble in selling the energy. The Department of Energy ranks Kansas as second on wind potential based on the amount of land available to place wind turbines on. Texas ranked first.
Schlichting predicts up to 50 full-time construction workers will be needed to install the turbines. He plans to hire local workers to complete the task.
Commissioner Jim Rice supports the development of wind farms because he believes it will bring additional economic development to the county. Wind farms could bring in long-term wind industries and create jobs for county residents.
"There is some revenue that county folks will be getting off of those installations,” said Rice. “Something, I think might even be more interesting, would be to attract some of those wind industries. It could be a parts warehouses or an industry that repairs those machines. There is a host of opportunities.”
Cimarron Wind Project workers have contacted property owners. The company and property owners must enter into a Wind Energy Lease and Easement Agreement. The agreement must be decided and reached upon by both parties before turbines can be placed. Schlichting said 26,000-to-27,000 of the 59,000 acres have reached a signed lease agreement. Property owners do receive monetary support for allowing use of their land.
"So far there hasn't been any objections to the project and we are obviously willing to work with any of the neighbors that have concern,” said Schlichting. “We want to be a good neighbor and a good corporate citizen. We are not done, yet. We still have a lot to do.”
The commission's approval is just one of the many steps the Cimarron Wind Project must do before wind turbines begin turning. The project received approval by the commission in January to install three temporary 80 M meteorological towers. The towers will create readings of wind measurement.
The readings will help in determining exact locations within the 59,000 acres. Schlichting said the meteorological towers are in the process or being installed.
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