GDF Suez to Resubmit Permit for 98MW Project in Vermillion Co

Wind developer GDF Suez has resubmitted its application to build a 98-megawatt wind project in Vermillion County, a project that would be the second wind farm in the county and the first in Illinois for the energy conglomerate.

And it sounds like county officials are going about the process very reasonably, allowing the company to grandfather its permit under the county's old wind farm ordinance, and pledging not to make any further changes to the ordinance for at least a year. According to a story in the Champaign News Gazette:

The company's plan is to build about 43 turbines across about 8,000 acres of mostly farmland stretching west and north from a starting point more than a mile west of Rossville's village limits.

International Power GDF Suez was the first wind developer to apply for a permit in Vermilion County. Since then, Chicago-based Invenergy applied for a permit, received it and started construction late last year. That will be a farm with more than 130 turbines stretching from west central Vermilion County in the Newtown area to east central Champaign County.

Also in the last year, the county board has made some changes to its wind turbine ordinance, but McMahon said he's recommending that the county board grandfather in International Power, because its original permit request was made prior to the changes. The county now requires a higher permit fee and longer distance between wind turbines and nearby building structures.

The prior permit fee was $1,000 per turbine, and the new one is $3,000 per turbine. International Power America Inc. already paid its $40,000 permit fee last year at the original fee level. McMahon said the county could enforce the new permit fee, but he's recommending that the county not do that.

Also, McMahon said, he's going to recommend that the building permit have a time limitation of one year with the possibility of a one-year extension upon a written request from the company. He said the company shouldn't be able to lock up all that land and not move forward when there could be another company interested.

McMahon said he also has no intention of considering any additional changes to the wind ordinance for at least a year.[...]

"We have established an ordinance. We tweaked it to satisfy some constituents, so we're done. It's going no further," he said.

1/20 Update: A Vermillion Co committee has approved the company's application, which now heads to the full County Board, says an article in the Danville Commercial News:

Despite concerns voiced by a couple of residents, the county’s structural safety committee approved a permit application for the construction of the Hoopeston Wind Energy Farm on the north end of Vermilion County.

GDF SUEZ Energy North America Inc. based in Houston, Texas, is coordinating the project, which calls for the construction of 43 wind turbines along a stretch from around 3 miles east of Illinois Route 49 to the area near the Hubbard Trail Country Club north of Rossville.

The committee voted 5-1 to approve the permit application. Committee member and county recorder Barb Young, who requested to see the motion in writing prior to voting on it, voted against it. Robert Watson did not attend the meeting.

The wind farm permit application still must be approved by a vote of the full county board, which next meets on Feb. 14.