Invenergy opts out of windmill plan
May 13, 2020
Liberty Utilities tops their first windmill, near Liberal. The wind project will serve customers in northern Barry County. The turbine is similar to those planned by Invenergy. Photo courtesy of Roger Nomer | The Joplin Globe.
Sheila Harris
Invenergy, a privately-held, Chicago-based renewable energy company, announced Friday it will not be moving forward with its wind turbine project in Barry County.
Invenergy erected two test towers on properties near Purdy nearly three years ago for the purpose of collecting data on wind patterns and velocity in the area. Based on the results of the sampling, an Invenergy representative began contacting landowners in the northwest part of the county in 2018, for the purpose of soliciting leases for land on which to construct the 600 foot wind turbines.
Barry County recorder, Danielle Still, said, since that time, 34 leases with 33 property-owners have been recorded, one as recently as February of 2020.
However, Barry County Northern Commissioner, Gary Schad, received a telephone call Friday from a representative of Invenergy to inform him of the company’s decision to opt out of construction of the wind farm.
According to Schad, Invenergy cited three reasons.
“They mentioned possible conflict with the area’s use by the military for a low fly-over, training zone,” he said. “Apparently, the military likes our wind patterns here, too.”
Another reason Invenergy gave for opting out was possible interference with a couple of radar operations within the county.
“I’m really not aware of any radar operations here, other than when we had the National Weather Service station outside of Monett,” Schad said, “but maybe they know something I don’t.”
According to Schad, the third reason Invenergy gave for backing out is the hazards associated with sharing airspace with local airports, both public and private.
Pilot and private airport operator Mark Ingram is relieved to see the project shelved.
"Wind turbines in proximity to airports are hazardous to air navigation," he said. "Sedgwick County, Kansas, which includes Wichita - the so-called 'Air Capital of the World' - has in place a recently passed resolution prohibiting the construction of large wind energy projects within 10 miles of an airport. In Barry County, that criterion, as applied to the proposed Invenergy project, would encompass the Monett and Cassville municipal airports, as well as my own - the latter designated MU41 by the Federal Aviation Administration. Considering the high volume of Jack Henry and other air traffic at the Monett airport, having 100 windmills, as proposed - each of them 500 to 600 feet tall at their blade tips - located to the southeast of the airport, would create the potential air turbulence issues that Sedgwick County seeks to avoid via its published resolution."
Gary Schad agrees.
“Although there would be some positive aspects of a wind farm, like increased tax revenue for the county and for school districts,” Schad said, “there would also be negative ones: namely, the sight and the sound.”
For Ingram, the negatives outweigh the positives.
"Wind energy companies make sales pitches citing increased tax revenues, and ongoing royalties and other income to the landowners on whose properties the structures are sited,” Ingram said, “but my research indicates that the realities sometimes fall short of expectations. Potential revenue aside, however, the air safety aspects of the proposed Invenergy project alone are reason enough to keep it away from our airports."
According to the terms of the 28-page lease entered into with landowners, Invenergy had the option of terminating the lease at any time, without cause - whereas landowners could terminate only after five years, provided no construction had begun.
Invenergy, a privately-held, Chicago-based renewable energy company, announced Friday it will not be moving forward with its wind turbine project in Barry County.
Invenergy erected two test towers on properties near Purdy nearly three years ago for the purpose of collecting data on wind patterns and velocity in the area. Based on the results of the sampling, an Invenergy representative began contacting landowners in the northwest part of the county in 2018, for the purpose of soliciting leases for land on which to construct the 600 foot wind turbines.
Barry County recorder, Danielle Still, said, since that time, 34 leases with 33 property-owners have been recorded, one as recently as February of 2020.
However, Barry County Northern Commissioner, Gary Schad, received a telephone call Friday from a representative of Invenergy to inform him of the company’s decision to opt out of construction of the wind farm.
According to Schad, Invenergy cited three reasons.
“They mentioned possible conflict with the area’s use by the military for a low fly-over, training zone,” he said. “Apparently, the military likes our wind patterns here, too.”
Another reason Invenergy gave for opting out was possible interference with a couple of radar operations within the county.
“I’m really not aware of any radar operations here, other than when we had the National Weather Service station outside of Monett,” Schad said, “but maybe they know something I don’t.”
According to Schad, the third reason Invenergy gave for backing out is the hazards associated with sharing airspace with local airports, both public and private.
Pilot and private airport operator Mark Ingram is relieved to see the project shelved.
"Wind turbines in proximity to airports are hazardous to air navigation," he said. "Sedgwick County, Kansas, which includes Wichita - the so-called 'Air Capital of the World' - has in place a recently passed resolution prohibiting the construction of large wind energy projects within 10 miles of an airport. In Barry County, that criterion, as applied to the proposed Invenergy project, would encompass the Monett and Cassville municipal airports, as well as my own - the latter designated MU41 by the Federal Aviation Administration. Considering the high volume of Jack Henry and other air traffic at the Monett airport, having 100 windmills, as proposed - each of them 500 to 600 feet tall at their blade tips - located to the southeast of the airport, would create the potential air turbulence issues that Sedgwick County seeks to avoid via its published resolution."
Gary Schad agrees.
“Although there would be some positive aspects of a wind farm, like increased tax revenue for the county and for school districts,” Schad said, “there would also be negative ones: namely, the sight and the sound.”
For Ingram, the negatives outweigh the positives.
"Wind energy companies make sales pitches citing increased tax revenues, and ongoing royalties and other income to the landowners on whose properties the structures are sited,” Ingram said, “but my research indicates that the realities sometimes fall short of expectations. Potential revenue aside, however, the air safety aspects of the proposed Invenergy project alone are reason enough to keep it away from our airports."
According to the terms of the 28-page lease entered into with landowners, Invenergy had the option of terminating the lease at any time, without cause - whereas landowners could terminate only after five years, provided no construction had begun.
