In response to protected airspace issues around the Pratt Industrial Airport, Indeck Energy Services will continue its efforts to develop a wind generation facility but in a different location. "We're still going to go ahead and try to develop a wind farm more to the west and north than where it was is light of the airport airspace," said Kent Goyen, area liaison for Indeck. Indeck's original proposal called for 100 towers each 400 feet tall within a 16,000-acre space northwest of Iuka.
In response to protected airspace issues around the Pratt Industrial Airport, Indeck Energy Services will continue its efforts to develop a wind generation facility but in a different location. "We're still going to go ahead and try to develop a wind farm more to the west and north than where it was is light of the airport airspace," said Kent Goyen, area liaison for Indeck. Indeck's original proposal called for 100 towers each 400 feet tall within a 16,000-acre space northwest of Iuka.
In response to protected airspace issues around the Pratt Industrial Airport, Indeck Energy Services will continue its efforts to develop a wind generation facility but in a different location.
"We're still going to go ahead and try to develop a wind farm more to the west and north than where it was is light of the airport airspace," said Kent Goyen, area liaison for Indeck.
Indeck's original proposal called for 100 towers each 400 feet tall within a 16,000-acre space northwest of Iuka. Some of those turbines would come within the airport airspace and the airport is developing an airspace protection area so they can maintain full operations.
For now Indeck will regroup and look for a feasible tie-in with the transmission lines on …
... more [truncated due to possible copyright]In response to protected airspace issues around the Pratt Industrial Airport, Indeck Energy Services will continue its efforts to develop a wind generation facility but in a different location.
"We're still going to go ahead and try to develop a wind farm more to the west and north than where it was is light of the airport airspace," said Kent Goyen, area liaison for Indeck.
Indeck's original proposal called for 100 towers each 400 feet tall within a 16,000-acre space northwest of Iuka. Some of those turbines would come within the airport airspace and the airport is developing an airspace protection area so they can maintain full operations.
For now Indeck will regroup and look for a feasible tie-in with the transmission lines on the west side of Pratt. There's nothing that can't be worked out to get this project done in Pratt County, Goyen said.
The wind generation project is between $400 million and $500 million. Indeck representatives approached Pratt City manager Dave Howard and they want the city commissioners to consider all the factors before enacting an airspace ordinance.
There are many details that need to be clarified and explained. There has to be some serious thought about what is economically best for the community.
"With these economic times we need to consider every option," Howard said. "Whenever were talking about an economic development project of this size and dollar amount we should be willing to at least review what they have in mind."
Area landowners have formed the Northwest Pratt County Landowners and Residents Association to work together to get answers about concerns before signing any contracts with Indeck.
A coalition was formed in Harper County to deal with BP Energy that wants to establish a wind farm there. Having a coalition has helped both the landowners and BP, said Harper County Ridge Road Coalition spokesman Mark Welty.
The first contracts offered in Harper County were vague and open ended so the coalition was formed to get a fair contract between the developer and landowner.
"We just think we need stronger language to protect landowners and developers," Welty said. I think developers appreciate speaking to a group instead of 30 individuals."
Welty said Pratt landowners need to be knowledgeable before signing a contract and Ridge Road is happy to share their experiences by contacting Welty at 316-721-3005 or Terry Miller, another spokesperson, at 620-243-7566.
The coalition has worked well in Harper County and they favor the development.
"We feel very favorable that the developer is working with us to get the contract signed" Welty said.
Pratt County resident Bill Moore is considering a contract with Indeck and he likes the additional potential income from the generators.
"I feel pretty good about them," Moore said.
He favors using an environmentally friendly form of energy and doing it in a way the pays off financially.
He is skeptical the wind farm will become a reality because of recent activity in the stock market and fuel prices. He hasn't heard from Indeck and wonders if the plan will ever come to fruition considering the current economic situation, Moore said.
While the wind generators will bring income to the farmers not all farmers are anxious to have wind generators on their property.
A wind generator in a field limits a farmer's options especially for aerial application. No crop duster he met with will spray fields with wind generators, said area farmer Ed Petrowsky.
If a farmer loses one crop off a field because it couldn't be sprayed it would take a long time to makeup that loss.
There is no way for crop dusters to navigate around a wind generator and his planes won't spray in those fields because of the danger, said Warren Sturgeon, owner of Farmers Spraying Service and Pratt Ag Service.
"You just don't do it," Sturgeon said. "I'm just not going to put anybody out there. That's all there is to that."
Sturgeon said he is not alone. He said he knows of other crop dusters that refuse to spray fields with generators.
Petrowsky also wants farmers to have first rights in the contract to the wind power generated on his property. Some irrigators in his area are losing their natural gas hookups and the gas is being rerouted elsewhere. He is concerned the same thing could happen to the electricity from the wind farm.
Petrowsky said that wind turbines are needed but they are not a cheap answer to electrical generation. If the wind doesn't blow, there has to be another source of power generation.
"My biggest concern is it takes a lot of backup power when the wind doesn't blow," Petrowsky said.
The whole issue might be moot if the current economic situation doesn't improve soon. For the interim he doesn't think anyone will invest. But something has to be done about energy alternatives and even if there are some issues with wind turbines all alternatives need to be considered.
"I'm not against the wind turbines. I think they're an important part of the whole scheme of things," Petrowsky said. "We're going to have to look at all the alternatives on this energy deal."