Material submitted by the Ellis County Joint Planning Commission for Wednesday’s public hearing regarding a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) request by Invenergy, LLC of Chicago:
FACT SHEET: BUCKEYE WIND ENERGY PROJECT
May, 2013
* All statistics regard the project as proposed at this time
PROJECT NAME Buckeye Wind Energy Project (“Buckeye”)
LOCATION Buckeye is projected to be located on more than 28,000 acres of private land in Ellis County, Kansas.
PROJECT COST Approximately $335 million capital investment.
CAPACITY (MW) Approximately 200 MW.
# OF TURBINES Between 87-125 turbines (depending on turbine model selection)
TYPE OF TURBINES Turbine selection still is being finalized.
HOMES POWERED Approximately 104,000homes.
LANDOWNERS Invenergy and its affiliates have signed more than 130 lease agreements with landowners in the project area.
JOB CREATION Buckeye would create approximately 300 construction jobs, and approximately 12 permanent operations and maintenance jobs once the farm is operational.
LOCAL ECONOMIC IMPACT
During operation, the project is expected to contribute more than $1.25 million annually in local payments, including property tax revenue to Ellis County; lease payments to landowners; and salaries to local employees.
PROJECT SCHEDULE Invenergy began development efforts on Buckeye in 2008, and currently we are seeking a power purchase agreement (“PPA”) for the project. Therefore, construction details, including a timeline, have not yet been determined.
AVIATION Invenergy will apply for Federal Aviation Administration (“FAA”) determinations of ‘No Hazard’ for preliminary wind turbine locations.
WILDLIFE As with all of our wind projects, Invenergy has, and will continue to, coordinate with state and federal agencies in this regard.
PPA Invenergy is actively seeking a PPA for the Buckeye project.
WIND STUDIES Invenergy has installed two meteorological towers in Ellis County, and one in Trego County, to measure wind speed, direction, and air temperature. There also is one Sonic Detection and Ranging (“SODAR”) unit – a wind “profiling” system – in Ellis County. The data collected from the met towers indicates that the project area has an excellent wind resource, and is an optimal location for a successful wind power generation facility.
INVENERGY STATEMENT
“With an excellent wind resource and community support, Ellis County is an optimal location for a successful wind project. The Buckeye Wind Energy project (“Buckeye”) would provide substantial, long-term economic benefits to the local area. We look forward to continuing to work closely with our host community, contributing to its economic development, and providing a new supply of clean, homegrown energy in Kansas.”
ABOUT INVENERGY
Invenergy and its affiliated companies develop, own and operate large-scale renewable and other clean energy generation facilities in North America and Europe. North America’s largest independent wind power generation company, Invenergy is committed to clean power alternatives and continued innovation in electricity generation. The company’s home office is located in Chicago and it has regional development offices throughout the United States and in Canada and Europe.
Invenergy has developed more than 7,100 MW of clean energy projects that are in operation, in construction, or under contract, including 49 wind, 3 solar, and 6 natural gas power facilities. For more information, please visit www.invenergyllc.com.