$375-million wind farm dedicated

MODOC – State Rep. Greg Beumer hosted a dedication ceremony for the new Headwaters Wind Farm at his Huntsville Road farm on Monday.

One of the project’s 100 wind turbines in Randolph County reaches 492 feet into the sky behind his house. At the tips, the blades rotate at a speed of more than 150 mph.

Beumer called the $375-million project the largest investment in the county’s history — 21/ 2 times the cost of building the $150-million Cardinal Ethanol plant seven years ago.

It took years of puzzle-making to get to the dedication ceremony.

The pieces included EDP Renewables North America, the world’s fourth-largest wind energy producer; a good location; a “very welcoming community that is willing to accept a project like this for the next 25 years;” the best-available turbine technology (made in Colorado); and more than 100 land owners, said Gabriel Alonso, CEO of EDP.

He called I&M “the final piece of the puzzle,” because “if you don’t have a company like Indiana Michigan Power willing to buy the power, this project would not happen.”

“We have a great product, clean electricity, and because wind is free, we can sell it for a fixed price for 20 to 25 years,” Alonso told guests who were bused to Beumer’s farm from EDP’s operations and maintenance facility in Winchester.

During the bus ride, a reporter for the Winchester News-Gazette asked project manager Jeffrey Nemeth if EDP tracks birds killed at the wind farm.

“Do you own a cat — an outdoor cat?” Nemeth asked the reporter, who acknowledged owning an outdoor cat. “Your cat probably kills more birds than my wind farm,” Nemeth said.

While wind farms “definitely impact” birds, Nemeth said cars, buildings and cats have a far greater impact.

He also told reporters that the biggest complaint since the wind farm began operating has been that the turbines can interfere with television signals received through antenna. The company has worked with 10 or so property owners to boost TV reception.

The wind farm spreads out over an area of Randolph County measuring 10 miles by 11 miles.

According to Alonso, 114 land owners will be paid $1.5 million a year for leasing their property to EDP. In addition, the company is making economic development payments totaling about $10.5 million to Randolph County government.

Randolph County Commissioner Mike Wickersham noted the project is not entirely finished. EDP damaged 40 miles of the county’s 860 miles of county roads during construction of the wind farm. EDP agreed to repair those roads by the end of September and to maintain them.

In Wickersham’s opinion, the wind turbines, which generate enough electricity to power more than 50,000 households, “add a majestic presence to our landscape,” though he added that “not everyone agrees with me.”

A decade ago, people said Indiana lacked wind resources for energy production, I&M official Marc Lewis said. Today, Indiana ranks 13th in the country in wind energy production, with more than 1,000 turbines installed.

“It’s the community of Randolph County that has really made this happen,” Lewis said. “As Gabriel says, you’ve got to have EDP make a significant investment and a partner like I&M to purchase the power, but it’s the community that really makes the difference, and Randolph County has always been supportive of wind and I think we’re going to see more development here over time as well.”

Headwaters Wind Farm helped I&M achieve a notable milestone this year. More than half of the company’s energy now comes from non-carbon-emitting sources. I&M’s energy sources are coal, nuclear, wind and water.

Contact Seth Slabaugh at (765) 213-5834.