Wind farm blows into Randolph County

MODOC, Ind. – The winds that freely whip across Randolph County soon will be harnessed to generate pollution-free electricity.

EDP Renewables North America is building the 200-megawatt Headwaters Wind Farm, which will place 100 wind turbines across southeastern Randolph County. EDP Renewables also operates Meadow Lake Wind Farm in White County and nearly 30 other wind farms across the country.

The $400 million project, which will power about 51,000 homes, is expected to be finished by the end of the year.

Randolph County farmer Tony Kritsch will have three towers on three different farms. Kritsch said he investigated the wind farms that have sprouted in Indiana counties near Lafayette before deciding to be part of the Headwaters project.

"They keep saying they are going to take away coal-fired plants. Wind energy is non-polluting," Kritsch said. "Whether it's profitable or not remains to be seen. We're on the northern end of the work, so they're working their way towards us."

Wind farms have been controversial in some rural areas, and there is opposition to them in Randolph County, said Jerry Warren, president of the Randolph Farm Bureau Inc. The noise of earlier wind turbines was an issue, but current ones make only a light hum, Kirtsch said.

"Most of the people here are enthusiastic about it, but you always have naysayers," Warren said. "It's bringing a lot of income here. We've lagged behind in economic development, and our unemployment has been high. There's money to owners for the wind, money for the size of the windmills and electric lines. It's putting money into our county. It's cool to see them going up."

Kritsch said about one-half acre is lost to each turbine. Each turbine has a lane for access and the lanes are built so they're easy to cross with farm equipment, he said.

Lease payments to land owners will range from $8,000 to $12,000 per year, The (Muncie) Star Press reported.

EDP has agreed to pay $10 million in lieu of property taxes to Randolph County government for community development over the next decade, after which the company will pay property taxes for the rest of the project's life.

Randolph County farmers met with four wind farm companies before selecting EDP, former Randolph Farm Bureau Inc. president Tom Chalfant said.

"Farmers had a choice whether to participate in this," Chalfant said. "No one had to be involved if they didn't want to. The county gave an abatement, and the tax base will increase after the 10-year abatement ends. The roads are kind of a mess now, but the county will get 26 miles of new pavement when the project is done."

Payments to land owners vary among farms, based on their situation, with those with longer lanes receiving higher amounts, Kritsch said. There are even payments to neighbors who might be affected by the turbines.

A portable cement plant at U.S. 27 and U.S. 36 quickly supplies concrete for the project, Warren said. It takes 600 yards of concrete to create one base, he said.

A windmill maintenance office in Winchester will take care of the towers after construction is completed, Warren said.

The project is expected to create more than 250 jobs at the peak of construction and 14 full-time, permanent jobs in Randolph County.

The technology used now to harness the wind has advanced, with the blades moved to the top of the turbine, capturing the most wind, said Adam Renz, a spokesman for EDP Renewables.

"The turbines are now being placed specifically to use less land," Renz said. "Indiana has some of the best wind resources in the country, and it has open land."

Wind energy generated here is expected to prevent the annual emission of 332,000 tons of carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere, according to EDP Renewables. Its annual environmental impact is estimated to be the equivalent to taking about 183,000 cars off the road, according to EDP.

Wind patterns near ground level are inconsistent and unsuitable for wind power, but the prevailing winds, which are higher, are much stronger, especially in the flat and less-forested northern half of the state, according to a Purdue University study on wind power in Indiana.

Indiana also is geographically situated to provide wind energy to many Eastern states, which are mandating renewable energy sources, the study said.

The turbines work by capturing the kinetic energy of the wind and converting it into electricity. The electricity is delivered to the grid through an interconnection with a 345-kilovolt transmission line owned and operated by AEP.

The power generated at Headwaters Wind Farm will be distributed by Indiana Michigan Power.

Headwaters likely won't be the last wind farm in Randolph County. Discussions are underway about another wind farm near Indiana 32, and land owners there have been contacted about it, Warren said.

Connersville benefit

The Randolph County wind farm project already has benefited the city of Connersville.

EDP Renewables needed a place to load and unload its large turbine equipment, Mayor Leonard Urban said. Connersville's short-line railroad, which operates within the city, transports the turbine blades that arrive by rail to the city's airport on the north side of town. The company paid Connersville about $33,000 to use the rail line and to store materials at the airport until they're needed on site, Urban said.

"It was a shot in the arm for the city of Connersville," Urban said. "The money that was generated was used to repair the short-line tracks from Ninth Street north. It has helped us keep that short line in service."

The tower blades are so big that two rail cars are needed to transport them to the airport, where they are off-loaded onto the trucks which carry them to Randolph County.

Greens Fork resident Bill Stout said about five police cars accompany the transports.

"We've seen them go by," Stout said. "It's a big project."