Juwi Wind abandons plans for Prairie Breeze wind project; continues lawsuit against Tipton County Board of Zoning Appeals
Credit: Juwi Wind ~~
Tipton – Juwi Wind announced today that it no longer plans to pursue the development of the Prairie Breeze Wind Farm, a wind energy project in Tipton County, Indiana, that would have had a nameplate capacity of approximately 150 megawatts. “Withdrawing from a late-stage development project is always a difficult decision,” said Mike Martin, president of Juwi Wind, “especially when the development work has complied with all substantive and procedural regulations, and Juwi has had the support of dedicated and civic-minded landowners and other community members who championed the merits of this project.”
A key reason that Juwi originally identified Tipton County as a desirable site for the Prairie Breeze Wind Farm was the clear regulatory guidelines concerning wind projects because a straightforward local regulatory scheme typically reduces development risk. However, the permitting authority that issued the principal permit for the project, the Tipton County Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA), imposed conditions that Juwi believes were outside of its administrative authority and which effectively rendered the project impossible to build.
Consequently, Juwi and a group of landowners in support of the project jointly initiated a lawsuit against the BZA to reform the conditions of the permit. Juwi strongly believes in the merits of the litigation and believes the ultimate outcome of the lawsuit would allow the Prairie Breeze Wind Farm to be constructed. But, the continuing litigation costs and indefinite time period associated with pursuing the permits through litigation no longer make sense for the company.
Juwi officials noted that although the company has decided to withdraw from the project, there are other plaintiffs involved in the lawsuit who may choose to continue pursuing their claims against the BZA. To facilitate these efforts, Juwi has already begun the process of notifying the landowners and appropriate officials of its decision.
For more information, contact: Chad Thompson (765) 513-1031 thompson@juwi.com