The licensing agreement with a company that has proposed a wind energy farm in Cowley and Elk counties may be completed within the next month, according to? Cowley County Administrator Leroy Alsup.
The agreement sets the standards and specifications for construction and operation of the project, he said.
Greenlight Energy, Inc. of Charlottesville, Va., constructed Kansas’ largest wind farm in Butler County and applied to construct one in Cowley and Elk counties. The company has since been purchased by a subsidiary of British Petroleum, according to Alsup.
“I think we’re down to about three issues to resolve, so I think probably in the next 30 days we should be finished,” he said. “Then, of course, there is the lengthy application process, an environmental review and (the company) will submit their development plans for our review.”
At that stage of the project, a public hearing will be held by the commission.
The project could have as many as 167 wind turbines generating from 200-250-megawatts of electricity. Two-thirds of the turbines are planned for Cowley County and will be located in the northeastern corner of the county. Neither county is zoned, according to the Kansas Wind Energy Information Network.
Harvey and Windsor townships will be involved in Cowley County. A wind farm could generate revenue for landowners in the area, Alsup said.
The commission adopted a resolution in June stating a general policy concerning the licensing, development, construction, operation and decommissioning of commercial wind energy facilities in the county.
“…the purpose of this resolution is to preserve and protect the public health, safety and general welfare and to promote the orderly land use and development of the unincorporated areas of Cowley County…,” the resolution states.
Commissioners intend to support and authorize the operation of one or more facilities in designated areas of the county, but want to make sure roads are preserved and the land and environment is protected.
The resolution defines a commercial wind energy facility as “a wind energy conversion system equal to or greater than 40 k W in total name plate electric generating capacity.”
The initial licensing fee is $50,000, Alsup said. Then the company would pay $1,000 per year per megawatt to the county. If a company builds a 500-megawatt facility, they would pay Cowley County $500,000 a year. There is a separate road maintenance agreement calling for the company to repair and maintain roads that may be damaged because of the weight and size of the equipment traveling the roads, he said.
The issue has been discussed in at least three commission meetings and newspaper articles about the proposal have appeared several times. But Alsup said he has not heard many concerns from local residents.
