White County Economic Development Director Connie Neininger says White County and Horizon Wind Energy have been talking about a wind farm project for some time.

Texas-based Horizon Wind Energy LLC is looking to increase the size of its proposed wind farm for White County even before area leaders finalize a deal for the project. The company originally planned to lease 30,000 to 35,000 acres for the wind farm. Now it has the potential to expand to 100,000 acres. White County Economic Development Director Connie Neininger says several land owners are now asking if the company will put a wind turbine on their property.

Neininger says White County is still putting together a wind ordinance, which would cover zoning requirements for the project. She hopes that will be adopted in the next 30 to 60 days. Neininger says if approved, the wind farm would be placed in the southwest corner of White County.

Horizon Wind Energy is also planning wind farms in Randolph and Howard counties. The company has a history of compensating land owners who are within two thousand feet of a wind tower. It also pays homeowners within the area a fee for being close to the wind farm.