WIND • Setbacks – Towers will be at least 1,500 feet from non-participating occupied primary residential dwellings and 1.2 times the tower height away from non-participating property lines from the center of the base of the tower. Towers will be setback at least 1.1 times the tower height plus 30 feet from any county, township, state or federal right-ofway currently in existence, excluding private roads. No turbines will be installed within a mile of a town.
Four agreements with High Banks Wind, LLC, were unanimously signed by the Washington County Commission on Monday for the High Banks Wind Project, including a development agreement, road use agreement, contribution agreement and decommissioning agreement.
Included in the agreements are financial commitments by High Banks Wind, a subsidiary of NextEra Energy Resources, over the next 10 years of almost $1.6 million for Washington County. This total does not include the revenue landowners will receive through land lease relationships for the project.
The county’s total is made up of almost $400,000 in three types of donations that will be received by the county soon after the start of construction of the project (within 30 days of commencement):
• An initial payment of $148,900.30 to the county.
• A donation of $100,000 to the county for the benefit of the local emergency medical and ambulance services that are included at least in part within the wind project boundaries.
• A one-time payment of $150,000 to the county general fund.
Once the wind project is complete and goes into commercial operation, an “annual contribution” of $119,119.70 will be paid to the county for 10 years. The total of the annual contributions would be $1,191,197. After the 10th year, the project’s tax exemption would sunset and the project would go on the tax roll.
The High Banks Wind Project would include 89.34 megawatts (MW) of production in Washington County specifically, and 559 MW in Republic County.
Information from Republic County discussions stated there would be 32 wind towers in Washington County and 201 in Republic County and the project is expected to be complete and operational by fall 2023.
The construction process can move fairly quick – once the concrete bases for the towers are poured and cured, which takes about a month, erection of the towers only takes about 36 hours.
Agreement details include:
• Size – Turbines will have a maximum turbine tip height not to exceed 600 feet above ground level.
• Lights – If approved by the Federal Aviation Administration, NextEra will install an aircraft detection lighting system, which will keep the turbine lights off unless an aircraft is flying within radar range.
• Shadow flicker – Unless otherwise agreed by a landowner, shadow flicker shall not exceed a cumulative 30 hours/year at non-participating occupied dwellings currently in existence.
• Road inventory – A pre-construction inventory will be completed of all the roads used in the transport of equipment for the wind project, including photos and video. Upon completion of the construction of the wind project, that information will be compared to identify wheel lane rutting, cracking or other damage in excess of the pre-construction inventory and the road will be repaired according to the road use agreement, with costs borne by the developer.