| 3/11/2014 12:42:00 PM Wind farm plan dropped for LaGrange County because of lack of landowner interest |
| Patrick Redmond, News-SunTOPEKA — A proposal to build a large wind farm operation in the southwest corner of LaGrange County is dead.Rob Propes, development manager for Apex Clean Energy, said in an email sent to Bob Shanahan, LaGrange County planning administrator, said Apex had decided not to pursue the Clear Spring Wind Energy project in LaGrange County due to “a lack of landowner participation.”Apex Clean Energy Inc. is a leading U.S.-based developer of commercial-scale renewable energy facilities such as wind farms in North America. The company is headquartered in Charlottesville, Va.
Propes said in his letter that while many people in the area were supportive of wind energy, the expected growth rate of smaller farms in the area made many landowners hesitant to commit to 20- to 25-year leases needed to make the project feasible. A preliminary plan called for installing as many as 100 wind turbines in the area, Shanahan said. That portion of the county was selected for wind energy production after testing revealed the winds were sufficient to produce wind energy. A major electrical transmission line also runs through the area. Shanahan said it was “a real shame” the energy company killed the proposal. Propes concluded his letter to Shanahan by saying that he was “sorry that we were not able to fully develop a project that would have provided many landowners with supplemental income and generated property taxes for the county.” |
