community wind for Meeker and Kandiyohi counties
Meeker and Kandiyohi Counties, Minnesota - June 26, 2008 – National Wind, LLC announces today its partnership with landowners in Meeker and Kandiyohi Counties, Minnesota to form and capitalize Lake Country Wind Energy, LLC. National Wind will serve as the project manager of Lake Country Wind Energy, which plans to develop up to 250 megawatts of wind energy. This development will generate enough electricity to power nearly 75,000 homes and is expected to be one of the largest community wind projects in Minnesota.
National Wind partnered with a group of local landowners and community leaders to provide the initial capital to establish Lake Country Wind Energy. The founding members have also formed a board of advisors consisting of area landowners including John Slinden, Gordon Behm, Jim Huisman, Tim Huisman, Wes Nelson, Dale Walter, Cliff Larson, and Steve and Connie Bergo.
“Participating on the board of advisors is a great opportunity to have my voice heard,” says Steve Bergo, a Lake Country Energy board member. “The investment of my time and money in this project is different from anything I’ve been involved in before. I have the opportunity to really make a difference in my local economy and environment. My goal is to get other community members as energized about the project as I am.”
“Lake Country Wind Energy’s community-based wind model provides many benefits for landowners and the local economy,” says Jack Levi, Co-Chair of National Wind. “A portion of the development proceeds from this project will be retained in the community. In addition, landowners have the opportunity to participate in the project on many levels. This includes helping steer the development process to effectively benefit their local communities. It is easy to see why these types of projects have strong, local support.”
Last year, local community members from Dodge, Mower, and Olmsted Counties partnered with National Wind to form Minnesota’s first large-scale community wind project, High Country Energy, LLC. The project plans to produce over 300 megawatts in southeastern Minnesota; 150 megawatts of the project are already committed to Wisconsin Public Service Corporation. In addition, National Wind recently announced the formation of Root River Energy, LLC, a 250 megawatt community-based wind project in Fillmore County, Minnesota.
About National Wind, LLC: National Wind, LLC, is the leader in developing utility scale (50 megawatts or more) community wind energy projects. We form powerful community wind energy partnerships with property owners’, assuring that the project’s economic benefits are shared with the surrounding community. National Wind and its subsidiary, Wind Energy Developers, LLC, have participated in developing 12 wind energy projects and currently have over 3,000 megawatts in development. National Wind projects are located in Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota and South Dakota, and the company is exploring expansion opportunities in other states. Please visit www.nationalwind.com for more information.
About Lake Country Wind Energy: Lake Country Wind Energy, LLC is a community-owned wind energy company that plans to develop up to 250 megawatts (MW) of wind power generation facilities in Meeker and Kandiyohi Counties, Minnesota. The company’s financial commitment is to assure a portion of the project’s development proceeds are shared with its local investors, landowners, and the surrounding community. For more information, please visit www.lakecountrywindenergy.com.