Scout files wind farm papers

Scout Clean Energy filed its application Friday seeking approval of a development plan for a 52-turbine wind farm in Jefferson and Richland townships.































































Maps submitted with the application show turbine sites south of Indiana 67 and south of county road 400 South, with most of them east of Indiana 1.































































The development plan calls for 52 GE 2.5-127 turbines that would each generate 2.5 megawatts. As an alternate, the plan lists 59 Vista V120 turbines that would each generate 2.2 megawatts.































































The development plan is expected to go before the Jay County Plan Commission on June 14.































































Representatives of Scout will appear before the Jay County Council on Wednesday with a request for a 10-year abatement that would phase in property taxes on the $135 million in construction.































































On Thursday, opponents of the wind farm are expected to appear before the plan commission requesting a revision in the county’s regulations or an outright moratorium on new wind farm projects locally.































































Scout has said that the turbines will exceed the county’s required setback of 1,000 feet from any dwelling. 































































NextEra’s Bluff Point Wind Energy Center, which went online this year, was built with setbacks of 1,400 feet. Scout project manager Pete Endres said this development would involve setbacks of 1,500 feet.































































Forty landowners have agreed to lease land to Scout Energy for what will be known as Bitter Ridge Wind Farm.































































Once completed, the wind farm would belong to Scout Clean Energy but would be operated and managed by a sister company, Harvest Energy Services Inc., also of Boulder, Colorado.































































Michael Rucker, chief executive officer of Scout, said last week that the company still has yet to find a buyer for the 130 megawatts of power that would be generated annually. Development of NextEra’s project was delayed for a number of years until a buyer for the electricity could be secured.