T-R PHOTO BY ROBERT MAHARRY The Laurel Wind Farm, located in south central Marshall County, is pictured. Invenergy, the largest private wind energy development company in North America, is exploring the possibility of a new 226 megawatt project in the southeastern part of the county around Green Castle Recreation Area.

Invenergy, the largest privately held renewable energy company in North America, is exploring the possibility of a wind farm in southeastern Marshall County, a representative confirmed last week.

“Invenergy is in the early stages of development for the proposed Marshall Wind Energy Center — a 226-megawatt (MW) wind power generation facility. We are currently evaluating landowner interest and the feasibility of tying the project to the grid,” Invenergy Director of Renewable Development Kate Millar said in a statement to the T-R. “Due to the early stage of the project, we are currently in discussions with landowners that would host the project through voluntary easements. We also will be working closely with Marshall County and stakeholders in the future as development progresses.”

When asked for specifics on how many turbines the project would entail and the exact location, company representatives said the landowners they are working with are in the southeast part of the county, south of Marshalltown and near the existing transmission line in the area. Additionally, they have not selected a turbine quantity yet but estimated that it would be between 35 and 60.

During last Wednesday morning’s Board of Supervisors meeting, Jack Smith of rural Gilman addressed the topic, noting that a meeting had been held at the Ferguson Community Center on Aug. 20 with about 80 people in attendance — including Supervisors Jarret Heil and Steve Salasek.

“Up front, I want you to know that I’m opposed to this. I live next to Green Castle (Recreation Area), but my purpose today is not to harangue against the wind farm,” Smith said. “I know it’s in the very early stages, but have you as individuals or has the board taken any position on this proposed wind farm project?”

The supervisors responded that they had not. Smith then urged the board to be proactive and enact a minimum setback of 2,000 feet on the turbines for individual property owners while providing “tools” for the Marshall County Conservation Board (MCCB) to enact a minimum setback of one mile from county parks, citing the improvements in progress at Green Castle as a reason to do so.

“It’s gonna change this part of the county forever, and the infrastructure stress on county roads is really, really tough with all the cement and gravel trucks,” Smith said. “Those roads are not constructed for that, so give the county engineer some tools to deal with that. And I guess finally, take a position… I would like to see the county vote on it. Do the people of Marshall County want a wind farm changing that area forever? For whatever that’s worth, those are my views.”

Conservation Director Emily Herring then stepped forward and acknowledged her concern with the project potentially being close to the Green Castle campground after the county’s recent investment, specifically the noise of the turbines and the effects they can have on wildlife like birds and bats.

“I think the one thing (is that) we would like to be a part of the conversation. Conservation hasn’t been included in any of the mailings or information, and as (Green Castle) appears to be completely surrounded by the project, we would like to be a part of the conversation,” Herring said. “So we will be reaching out to the company that is recruiting the easements and ask to be involved in those conversations. So that way, everything is clear and open, and that way, I think (we can work toward) finding a solution that all people can agree on and make sure it’s what’s best for the county.”

Currently, there are two active wind projects in Marshall County. The Laurel Wind Farm, with 52 turbines and a capacity of 119.6 megawatts, is located in the south central part of the county and is owned and operated by MidAmerican Energy. It has been online since 2011, according to the U.S. Wind Turbine Database.

The Vienna Wind Farm, which stretches partially into Tama County, includes 64 turbines and a capacity of 150.14 megawatts. It is also owned and operated by MidAmerican and has been online since 2012. The Marshall County portion is located in the northeast part of the county primarily between Green Mountain, Garwin and Gladbrook.

It was estimated that in 2022, the two projects generated about $2.4 million in tax revenue for Marshall County.

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Contact Robert Maharry

at 641-753-6611 ext. 255 or

rmaharry@timesrepublican.com.