Illinois Wind Power Holiday News Wrap-Up

Lots of news about windpower in Illinois over the December holidays. Here's a short wrap-up:

GDF Suez to seek permits for Vermillion Co's second wind project in January:

Vermilion County Board Chairman Jim McMahon confirmed GDF SUEZ Energy North America Inc. will begin the permit process in January for its project in northern Vermilion County.

He said the company will be in discussions next month and the project permit application will go before the county board’s structural safety committee first.

McMahon said it could move to the full county board for approval as early as February.

The company based in Houston, Texas, is coordinating a Hoopeston project first coordinated by the company International Power. The project calls for the construction of 43 wind turbines along a stretch reaching from around 3 miles east of Illinois Route 49 to the area near the Hubbard Trail Country Club north of Rossville.

This is a second attempt for the company, which canceled its first permit process in April just days before the structural safety committee was scheduled to meet.

McMahon said he believes the company is moving now to go through the permit process to avoid facing higher permit costs. Currently, GDF SUEZ Energy North America Inc. has paid a permit fee of $47,000, but would be eligible later next year for higher permit fees passed by the county this fall.

Lee County Board Debates Sound Studies Requirement:

[Board] Member Mike Pratt presented a proposal for noise that would require wind energy companies to conduct sound studies before and after turbines are built – all paid by the firms. No such assessments are required under the current ordinance.

The proposal also includes a complaint procedure. After a complaint is made, an investigation would be conducted. If the property owner’s complaint is determined to be reasonable, the wind energy company would pay for the study’s costs.

But if the complaint is deemed unreasonable, the property owner must pay. Members of the audience said such studies cost thousands of dollars.

Under the proposal, both the company and the property owner would put money in an escrow account before the investigation. [...] Pratt said the provision was included to avoid frivolous complaints.

Two tower manufacturers with operations in Illinois, Broadwind and Trinity Towers, joined the trade complaint against China and Vietnam:

Four domestic companies that make most of the steel towers for wind turbines in the United States filed a trade complaint against China and Vietnam on Thursday, seeking tariffs in the range of 60 percent. The action is a significant new skirmish in an emerging green energy trade war.

The allegations are much like the ones that solar panel manufacturers made in a similar case filed against Chinese manufacturers in October, namely that government subsidies were allowing foreign manufacturers to sell below cost in the United States, damaging the domestic industry. The filing is likely to increase the already escalating trade frictions between the United States and China.

Iroquois Co approved a massive wind turbine decommissioning fee, a move that will likely drive out any future development:

The Iroquois County Board will begin requiring the developers of wind farms to pay $50,000 in financial securities for every wind turbine they build — five times what previously was required — to protect the county in the event a wind farm operator goes bankrupt and abandons its project.

A revised decommissioning plan for wind farms was approved by the board 20-2 last month, requiring a $50,000 cash escrow account be provided for each tower. The $50,000 cash escrow replaces a $10,000-per-turbine surety bond as financial security.

The construction of E.ON's Pioneer Trail project was the biggest story of 2011 in Ford County, says the Paxton Record:

“Not only is there great community interest, there is a lot of community impact with wind farms,” we explained in a column about our top 10 list a year ago. “These massive structures will not only dominate the landscape, they will generate millions in tax revenue and provide some needed jobs.”

We couldn’t have said it better today. And we couldn’t find a story today that better fits the criteria we use when choosing our list of top 10 stories: (1) community impact and (2) community interest.

So the Pioneer Trail Wind Farm was the easy choice for our No. 1 story of the year. In this column, we’ll break down the reasoning behind our choices for No. 1 and the other nine stories that made the list, if you’ll hear us out.

Cuba, IL school district to seek grant for wind turbine project:

During the [Dec 19th meeting of the Board of Education of Community Unit School District 3], it was decided to seek funding for a windmill project for educational purposes. Under the superintendent's report, Mr. Kenser presented the Wind Assessment report. With approval to pursue the wind turbine for an educational aspect, Mr. Kenser will apply for and seek approval for an Illinois Clean Energy grant.