Northeastern Wayne County could become home to a wind farm if test towers show it's windy enough to profitably generate electricity there.

Indiana Michigan Power has invited 250 residents of Jay, Randolph and Wayne counties to private meetings this week to discuss the possibility of developing a wind farm. The utility is looking for land owners willing to lease some land to I&M for the installation of two or three 200-foot towers to collect wind data.

"Wind maps from the Department of Energy show the area might be economically feasible for a wind farm, but we need to test the site to be sure," said Mike Brian, I&M spokesman. "The technology is growing to squeeze more energy out of the wind that's there. It's still in the emerging stages."

If the data show enough breeze for a wind farm to be feasible, the utility or a developer would lease land to install 50 to 70 wind turbines. The turbines are each taller than the Statue of Liberty with rotors the size of jumbo-jet wings, Brian said.

I&M will meet with landowners and neighbors today in the Jay County Courthouse and on Friday at the Union City Community Room. Neither meeting is open to the public.

The area where test towers could be erected includes southeast Jay, northeast and southeast Randolph and northeast Wayne counties.

Indiana currently has no wind energy generators, but Orion Energy is placing up to 135 wind turbines in Benton County, Brian said. Another proposed test site has been announced for Allen County, he said.

Greg Beumer, director of the Randolph Economic Development Corp., told the Muncie Star-Press that the wind farm would be a plus for the area.

"This would be a pretty positive thing for our area if it goes," Beumer said. It would be a significant investment. The number I've heard is $20 million to $25 million (to build the wind farm). We think it would be a significant benefit for the tax base of our county."

Indiana Michigan Power, headquartered in Fort Wayne, serves 575,000 customers in Indiana and Michigan. The utility gets a majority of its power from coal-fired plants and a third from the Cook nuclear plant in Lawrenceburg.

"Developing renewable resources and a diverse energy portfolio is really important today," Brian said. "The investment in wind energy is significant, with wind energy twice as expensive now as coal in Indiana. Long-term production tax credits are needed to make it viable."