community wind for Meeker and Kandiyohi counties
Lake Country Wind Energy hosts a successful project update meeting on August 16th, 2010 at the Atwater Community Center. Over 100 community members and project participants gathered to learn more about the recent draft site permit submitted for the development of the project's first 41 MW phase. Over 100 landowners attended, accompanied by Lake Country Wind Energy's founders and board members, field specialist, Jan Donahue, and National Wind developer, Chuck Burdick. Everybody enjoyed a slice of pie from the Atwater Bakery and some 1919 Rootbeer! It was a fun evening for all involved as we continuously celebrate the project's ongoing successes!
Join us on August 16th at 6:30 pm at the Atwater Community Center for an update on the progress we are making toward the development of our wind project. We recently submitted our site permit application for our first 41 megawatt phase. Come to this meeting to learn what this means for Lake Country Wind Energy. The meeting will include a
Submission of the site permit application is the first step in the regulatory review process. Lake Country Wind Energy submitted the site permit for its first 41 megawatt phase on August 4th, 2010. The project will be permitted through the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (MPUC) and the Office of Energy Security. The MPUC has 180 days to issue a permit once the application is accepted.
Lake Country Wind Energy, LLC recently installed a 100 meter (328 foot) lattice meteorological (met) tower, the tallest installed in Minnesota, within Section 18 of Gennessee Township, Kandiyohi County. The met tower, installed by National Wind Assessments’ crew, will be utilized to further analyze wind speed and directional data within Lake Country Wind Energy’s project area. Currently, the project has completed a 2 year wind study from data gathered from its 60 meter (197 feet) tower located in Section 35 of Harrison Township.
Lake Country Wind Energy has selected REpower's MM92, 2.05 megawatt turbine for its first 40 megawatt development phase. The turbine is an ideal fit for the project's wind regime and will help advance construction of the first 40 megawatt phase.
The blades are approximately 150 feet long and rest on a steel tower 225-300 feet tall.
Lake Country Wind Energy has signed nearly 25,000 acres of land for the project, over three fourths of the land needed to develop the wind farm up to 340 megawatts. Jan Donahue, field specialist for Lake Country, signed 13,000 of these acres last year alone. Currently just over 150 local landowners are participating in Lake Country Wind Energy.
Lake Country Wind Energy received resolutions of support from the Meeker County Board of Commissioners and the Kandiyohi County Board of Commissioners. The formal support of the county boards is one of the first steps in the application for Community-Based Energy Development (C-BED) status. C-BED status formally accredits a Lake Country Wind Energy as a community wind project. The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission will ultimately decide if Lake Country Wind Energy’s developments qualify as a C-BED wind projects. The status would allow Lake Country Wind Energy to submit to proposals to utilities looking for C-BED certified megawatts.
To develop 340 MW of planned wind projects, Lake Country Wind Energy needs to secure wind easements and leases for about 34,000 acres of land in the project area. Field Specialist Jan Donahue has made great progress towards that target with just under half as many acres committed to the project. Lake Country Wind Energy has added a second field specialist, Brian D. Stuart, to help move interested landowners through the lease process.
In November, December, and January, Lake Country Wind Energy held several meetings for interested investors. Attendees had the opportunity to learn more about our planned wind projects and the development process.
More than 125 landowners attended a meeting on September 11 at the Atwater Community Center. Lake Country Wind Energy and National Wind representatives introduced themselves and the Lake Country wind project to the crowded room of landowners. Check out some pictures from the event in our photo gallery.
