Groundwork is in progress to make way for the $250 million wind turbine facility on Laurel Mountain, and completion of the project is expected by the end of next summer, officials said this week.

Barry Sweitzer, director for the AES Laurel Mountain project, told The Inter-Mountain that everything is moving along as expected with the project. He said landowners have started timbering the land to make way for 65 wind turbines that will be erected on an eight-mile stretch of the Laurel Mountain ridgeline between Barbour and Randolph counties.

"We have received all of the required permits and are doing some preliminary... [continue via Web link]