Post-Bulletin, Austin MN
From By Tim Ruzek Wednesday, May 26th, 2010
Root River Energy is getting closer to its goal of constructing a 300-megawatt project that would construct dozens of wind turbines in Mower and Fillmore counties possibly in a few years.
On Tuesday night, the Mower County Planning Commission unanimously voted to recommend approval of Root River Energy's request for a conditional-use permit to construct a meteorological tower standing about 196 feet tall.
The Mower County Board will vote June 1 on the CUP request. Root River has about 28,000 acres under lease out of the project's goal of 30,000 acres in eastern Mower County and western Fillmore County, said Barry Rogne of Root River Energy, which has an office in Ostrander.
"We're just about at that threshold," Rogne told the planning commission. With the Minneapolis-based National Wind as the developer, Root River's goal is to build a 300-megawatt, community-based wind farm, with the land roughly split 50-50 between Mower and Fillmore counties, Rogne said afterward.
"Currently the project's footprint includes land in Mower County's Frankford, Bennington and LeRoy townships, Rogne said. At least 150 wind turbines could be constructed for a 300-megawatt wind farm," Rogne said, "but they likely would be built in phases. Hopefully, construction could start in the next two to three years," he added.
Planning commission members on Tuesday followed the county's ordinance for met towers, including the requirement of specific coloring and markers to make the tower more visible. A flashing red light will have to operate on top of the tower at night.
"Located on a 160-acre parcel in Section 27 of Bennington Township, the met tower will help with micro-siting and detailing the wind in Mower County," Rogne said. "There is no residence close to the proposed met tower's site," he added. No members of the public attended Tuesday's meeting.
"Typically, met towers are up for about two years," Rogne said. "Root River has had a met tower in Fillmore County's Beaver Township collecting wind data for about 1 1/2 years," he said.
In April 2008, Root River Energy LLC was formed to produce electrical power in an environmentally friendly manner. The company follows a model of community ownership that allows local landowners to become project owners.
National Wind calls itself the country's leading, large-scale community wind project developer with a mission to develop utility-scale wind energy projects in partnership with rural communities.
Copyright 2010, The Post-Bulletin, Austin, Minnesota
