RENSSELAER — At the November meeting of the Jasper County Council, Jasper County Economic Development Organization Director Stephen Eastridge brought the confirmatory resolution before the board, which is the final stage in the approval of the Economic Revitalization Area (ERA) designation for a 45 wind turbine area in southern Jasper County.
The ERA includes a tax abatement with the county receiving $6.6 million from the project in the first five years and over $32 million in additional tax revenue over the life time of the project, according to Eastridge.
A preliminary resolution was passed in October for the project by EDP Renewables for their Meadow Lake Wind Farm, which is also building turbines in White County as well.
At their November meeting, the Jasper County Commissioners approved a road use and decommissioning agreement with the company. Eastridge explained the decomissioning bond will need to be re-established every five years.
The turbines will be erected in Carpenter Township over 17,000 acres all south of County Road 1200 South. A small one-mile portion of the ERA extends into southern Jordan Township.
Eastridge said, because of the project, all residents of Carpenter Township will be impacted by the lower tax rate whether they’re participating in the project or not.
Although the ERA includes the small area in Jordan Township, Eastridge said there will be no turbines built outside of Carpenter Township. There are 40 miles of roads in the township that will be improved once construction is completed.
The company has agreed to fix the roads that will most likely be damaged during the installation of the turbines. When completed, the roads will have concrete stabilization, which will keep them frost-free.
The project represents $365 million capital investment in the community, and will create hundreds of full-time construction jobs and five full-time permanent positions in the county.
The next step in the process will be zoning issues that will need to be addressed in 2023 before construction of the turbines begins. The construction is expected to start in the fall of 2024 and operational by the end of 2025.
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