First-phase construction of one of the region's latest and largest wind farms should begin soon about 50 miles north of Springfield.

The Rail Splitter Wind Farm is expected to cover 11,000 acres in Logan and Tazewell counties. Nearly 70 wind turbines are planned, or enough to supply approximately 30,000 homes, according to developer Horizon Wind Energy.

Work would begin in Tazewell County, despite recent objections by State's Attorney Stewart Umholtz, who threatened legal action if the project was included in the county's enterprise zone.

Umholtz recently told the Tazewell County Board the project's inclusion wasn't a proper use for enterprise zones.

The appeal period for Tazewell County has expired, though, clearing the way for Horizon to receive a conditional use permit.

Horizon also must obtain additional permits from Logan County, but county engineer Bret Aukamp said most conditions have been met.

In a recent planning and zoning committee meeting, Logan County zoning officer Will D'Andrea explained to the committee the difference between receiving a "conditional use permit" and approving the application with conditions.

"If you approve the application, you are entitled to come to the (zoning) office, and building permits are issued, and they are allowed to start construction," D'Andrea said. "In this case, we approved it with 18 or 19 different conditions ... most of the conditions related to specific approval criteria.

"For example, one of them is that they need to provide a de-commissioning plan, so if a product is no longer in use, or they go bankrupt or something, we have provisions in place where we can dismantle all of those towers that are sitting out there," he said.

Both Aukamp and D'Andrea said all conditions must be met for approval to be final. D'Andrea recently provided the de-commissioning plan to county board chairman Dick Logan and State's Attorney Tim Huyett.

Logan said he is still waiting to hear back from Huyett on whether the plan meets the county's standards.

The appeal period for Logan County landowners to object to the conditional-use permit expires in mid-October. Even if the company has building permits, Horizon would have to postpone work if an objection is filed.

D'Andrea said, if there are no legal complications, construction could begin simultaneously in the two counties.

Sangamon County and the village of Elkhart, in southern Logan County, also had to approve extension of an enterprise zone shared with Logan County to include the Rail Splitter Wind Farm site.

The enterprise zone was extended in 2004 to the site of the former Formosa Plastics Co. plant in Illiopolis, about 25 miles east of Springfield, after an explosion destroyed the facility. The extension also picked up a piece of Elkhart.