November 23, 2016 at 4:44 p.m.
Jay wind farm to become a reality
Jay wind farm to become a reality
All of the agreements and contracts are in place.
The site locations are being finalized.
And, finally, there is a buyer for the power.
It’s been more than a decade in the making, but if all goes as planned, by this time next year, a $200-million wind farm will be nearly ready to start operation in southern Jay and northern Randolph counties.
NextEra Energy Resources has set a Dec. 9, 2017, target date for Bluff Point Wind Energy Center to be fully operational.
“We have some in our development portfolio that are slated for 2017 build,” said Bryan Garner, manager of communications for NextEra. “I would say Bluff Point, this particular project, is the most advanced.”
The project that has gone through stops and starts since Indiana Michigan Power first expressed interest in a local wind farm in November 2006. It finally got what seems to be a permanent green light in June this year when Appalachian Power announced an agreement to buy the 120 megawatts of power to be produced.
Since then, NextEra has been going through the process of finalizing details about the wind farm. That has included “micro-siting” to finalize the locations of the 58 turbines to be installed in an area bordered by county roads 600 south, 250 West, 700 East and Randolph County road 900 North.
When a wind farm is designed, it is done from a “30,000-foot level” via computer. When it is ready to be built, employees go to the sites to survey and make any adjustments that might be necessary.
“Obviously we need to get boots on the ground to ensure that the locations that we have chosen for each of the turbines are appropriate,” said NextEra project director Jeremy Ferrell. “It’s not unusual during this process to relocate turbines, really within a matter of 50, maybe 100, 200 feet, of where we identified originally.”
Representatives have been in Jay County for about the last month handling that work, which so far has led to little change, though the process is not complete.
When it is, local officials and individual landowners who are involved in the project will be informed about the finalized layout for the wind farm.
NextEra will also work with county engineer Dan Watson to determine what routes will be used to bring in materials for construction.
The early part of 2017 will involve filing building permits — they’re the only agreements with local government still needed to move the project forward — and contractor Blattner Energy hiring its subcontractors.
The site locations are being finalized.
And, finally, there is a buyer for the power.
It’s been more than a decade in the making, but if all goes as planned, by this time next year, a $200-million wind farm will be nearly ready to start operation in southern Jay and northern Randolph counties.
NextEra Energy Resources has set a Dec. 9, 2017, target date for Bluff Point Wind Energy Center to be fully operational.
“We have some in our development portfolio that are slated for 2017 build,” said Bryan Garner, manager of communications for NextEra. “I would say Bluff Point, this particular project, is the most advanced.”
The project that has gone through stops and starts since Indiana Michigan Power first expressed interest in a local wind farm in November 2006. It finally got what seems to be a permanent green light in June this year when Appalachian Power announced an agreement to buy the 120 megawatts of power to be produced.
Since then, NextEra has been going through the process of finalizing details about the wind farm. That has included “micro-siting” to finalize the locations of the 58 turbines to be installed in an area bordered by county roads 600 south, 250 West, 700 East and Randolph County road 900 North.
When a wind farm is designed, it is done from a “30,000-foot level” via computer. When it is ready to be built, employees go to the sites to survey and make any adjustments that might be necessary.
“Obviously we need to get boots on the ground to ensure that the locations that we have chosen for each of the turbines are appropriate,” said NextEra project director Jeremy Ferrell. “It’s not unusual during this process to relocate turbines, really within a matter of 50, maybe 100, 200 feet, of where we identified originally.”
Representatives have been in Jay County for about the last month handling that work, which so far has led to little change, though the process is not complete.
When it is, local officials and individual landowners who are involved in the project will be informed about the finalized layout for the wind farm.
NextEra will also work with county engineer Dan Watson to determine what routes will be used to bring in materials for construction.
The early part of 2017 will involve filing building permits — they’re the only agreements with local government still needed to move the project forward — and contractor Blattner Energy hiring its subcontractors.
Blattner, a Minnesota-based alternative energy firm, has partnered with NextEra on a variety of projects, including Lee/DeKalb Wind Energy Center in Illinois.
“We’re extremely happy and excited that Blattner is going to be doing this project,” said Ferrell. “It’s a company we’re very comfortable with.”
The goal is to begin construction in mid-May.
That process will begin with some of the basic site work, such as creating roads to turbine locations and digging foundations. A latticework of rebar will be installed, followed by pouring of concrete.
“After that, it’s very much like an erector set,” said Ferrell. “You’ve got a base, you’ve got four tower sections. Then you’ll put on the topper, which is the hub or the nacelle, where the turbine is located. And then the hub with the blades are assembled on the ground and then raised and fastened to the hub with the nacelle.”
NextEra estimates the project, which is expected to take about six months, will generate 250 construction jobs.
“We always look to hire locally whenever possible, local companies and contractors, which is a great economic boost for the local community,” said Bryan Garner, manager of communications for NextEra.
When operational, there will be six to 10 full-time employees to run the facility.
That will include wind techs, who are tasked with climbing to the top of the turbines and making sure the machines are running correctly, and office staff. A tech typically visits three to five turbines a day, Ferrell said.
About two-thirds of the $200 million investment, which is projected to generate about $30 million in total property taxes, will be in Jay County. NextEra also estimates it will make about $20 million in payments to landowners over the life of the facility.
“It’s a positive because it’s going to help with our assessed valuation situation,” said Bill Bradley, executive director of Jay County Development Corporation, while also noting an economic development agreement with NextEra that will provide the county with nearly $1 million for local projects and the boon for local suppliers of cement and other construction materials. “You’re talking a project here in Jay County of $140 to $150 million. It’ll be the largest project we’ve ever had.”
Completing that project will represent a culmination to a process that began Nov. 5, 2006, when Indiana Michigan Power, a subsidiary of American Electric Power, expressed interest in meeting with local residents about gathering information to assess whether a wind farm would be feasible in the area.
AEP and Clipper Windpower erected test towers in 2007 and ’08, and on Sept. 14, 2009, it was announced that data indicated Jay County was a viable site for a wind operation. After local officials worked with AEP to put zoning and other agreements in place, wind farm advocate Bob Lyons announced on March 9, 2010, that the wind farm would be built by the end of 2012.
But a little more than a year later, AEP backed out of the Bluff Point project to instead work on another wind farm in Grant, Madison and Howard counties. For a few months the effort was thought to be dead, but it was resurrected when NextEra stepped in to take over development in September 2011. NextEra set a 2013 construction target, but that goal was torpedoed when AEP, then expected to be the buyer of the energy the Bluff Point facility would produce, backed out in favor of Headwaters Wind Farm in southern Randolph County.
The project was dormant for almost exactly three years as NextEra searched for a new partner to purchase that energy before it finally connected with Appalachian Power, another AEP subsidiary. Appalachian announced its agreement with NextEra on June 2, kick-starting the process again.
“Personally I’m ecstatic,” said Ferrell, noting that Bluff Point was the first project he took over when he joined NextEra’s development group. “I’ve been involved with this project for probably three and a half, four years. I’ve been pushing on this one. I’m very happy to see this one start.”
It will be NextEra’s first wind energy project in Indiana.
The company is the leading U.S. producer of wind energy, with more than 110 operations. It has 10 apiece in California and Texas, and two — Lee/DeKalb and White Oak — in Illinois.
“It’s exciting that this is the first project that NextEra will have in the state of Indiana,” said Ferrell. “We’re in 27 states, and it’s always a badge of honor to add a new one to our portfolio and to our family.”
For Lyons, who chaired the Jay County Renewable Energy Task Force and has been a supporter of the project from the start, seeing Bluff Point’s wind turbines finally spinning will be a special moment.
“I’m tickled to death,” said Lyons. “I’m excited about that. I think it’s good for Jay County. I wish we could expand the darn thing and make it twice as big.”
“We’re extremely happy and excited that Blattner is going to be doing this project,” said Ferrell. “It’s a company we’re very comfortable with.”
The goal is to begin construction in mid-May.
That process will begin with some of the basic site work, such as creating roads to turbine locations and digging foundations. A latticework of rebar will be installed, followed by pouring of concrete.
“After that, it’s very much like an erector set,” said Ferrell. “You’ve got a base, you’ve got four tower sections. Then you’ll put on the topper, which is the hub or the nacelle, where the turbine is located. And then the hub with the blades are assembled on the ground and then raised and fastened to the hub with the nacelle.”
NextEra estimates the project, which is expected to take about six months, will generate 250 construction jobs.
“We always look to hire locally whenever possible, local companies and contractors, which is a great economic boost for the local community,” said Bryan Garner, manager of communications for NextEra.
When operational, there will be six to 10 full-time employees to run the facility.
That will include wind techs, who are tasked with climbing to the top of the turbines and making sure the machines are running correctly, and office staff. A tech typically visits three to five turbines a day, Ferrell said.
About two-thirds of the $200 million investment, which is projected to generate about $30 million in total property taxes, will be in Jay County. NextEra also estimates it will make about $20 million in payments to landowners over the life of the facility.
“It’s a positive because it’s going to help with our assessed valuation situation,” said Bill Bradley, executive director of Jay County Development Corporation, while also noting an economic development agreement with NextEra that will provide the county with nearly $1 million for local projects and the boon for local suppliers of cement and other construction materials. “You’re talking a project here in Jay County of $140 to $150 million. It’ll be the largest project we’ve ever had.”
Completing that project will represent a culmination to a process that began Nov. 5, 2006, when Indiana Michigan Power, a subsidiary of American Electric Power, expressed interest in meeting with local residents about gathering information to assess whether a wind farm would be feasible in the area.
AEP and Clipper Windpower erected test towers in 2007 and ’08, and on Sept. 14, 2009, it was announced that data indicated Jay County was a viable site for a wind operation. After local officials worked with AEP to put zoning and other agreements in place, wind farm advocate Bob Lyons announced on March 9, 2010, that the wind farm would be built by the end of 2012.
But a little more than a year later, AEP backed out of the Bluff Point project to instead work on another wind farm in Grant, Madison and Howard counties. For a few months the effort was thought to be dead, but it was resurrected when NextEra stepped in to take over development in September 2011. NextEra set a 2013 construction target, but that goal was torpedoed when AEP, then expected to be the buyer of the energy the Bluff Point facility would produce, backed out in favor of Headwaters Wind Farm in southern Randolph County.
The project was dormant for almost exactly three years as NextEra searched for a new partner to purchase that energy before it finally connected with Appalachian Power, another AEP subsidiary. Appalachian announced its agreement with NextEra on June 2, kick-starting the process again.
“Personally I’m ecstatic,” said Ferrell, noting that Bluff Point was the first project he took over when he joined NextEra’s development group. “I’ve been involved with this project for probably three and a half, four years. I’ve been pushing on this one. I’m very happy to see this one start.”
It will be NextEra’s first wind energy project in Indiana.
The company is the leading U.S. producer of wind energy, with more than 110 operations. It has 10 apiece in California and Texas, and two — Lee/DeKalb and White Oak — in Illinois.
“It’s exciting that this is the first project that NextEra will have in the state of Indiana,” said Ferrell. “We’re in 27 states, and it’s always a badge of honor to add a new one to our portfolio and to our family.”
For Lyons, who chaired the Jay County Renewable Energy Task Force and has been a supporter of the project from the start, seeing Bluff Point’s wind turbines finally spinning will be a special moment.
“I’m tickled to death,” said Lyons. “I’m excited about that. I think it’s good for Jay County. I wish we could expand the darn thing and make it twice as big.”
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