Support excellent, wind developer says
News editor
Community support for a proposed wind farm project between Marion and U.S. 50 has been outstanding, Rex Savage of Windborne Energy Inc. told Marion Chamber of Commerce Friday.
Support was crucial at the zoning stage of the project. Big companies fail to get zoning permits for wind farms 90 percent of the time, he said, so other developers thought his independent project had no chance to succeed.
Savage cautioned that nothing is final until turbines are built, but his negotiations with Sunwind Energy Group of Nevada are further along than any previous negotiations have gone, and all indicators are positive.
Sunwind’s construction schedule is ambitious, seeking to maximize its tax benefits, he said. That is why the company is anxious to begin construction this year. Savage said turbines could be operational in a year.
Construction will create jobs, some of which could be done by local workers. There could be up to 10 additional jobs on the wind farm once it’s operational.