Having approval for a conditional use permit from Antelope County, and having found a long-term buyer of wind energy to be generated by Prairie Breeze II, the next step in the construction of the new wind farm will take place in a conference room in Lincoln on Friday, January 23.
Earlier this month, Prairie Breeze Wind Energy II, LLC, filed an application with the Nebraska Power Review Board requesting approval to construct a 73.5 megawatt wind turbine electric generation facility, and related facilities.
In this week’s issue of The Elgin Review, a public notice with details regarding the application can be found on Page Five.
The location for the farm is generally east of Elgin in Antelope and Boone counties and is expected to consist of approximately 40 wind turbine units.
The total estimated cost of the project is $125 million. Construction of the wind farm is estimated to begin around May 1.
The power review board will hold a formal evidentiary hearing on Jan. 23, beginning at 9:30 a.m. in the Liquor Control Commission hearing room, fifth floor, Nebraska State Office Building located at 301 Centennial Mall South in Lincoln.
At that time testimony and other evidence regarding the construction of the wind farm will be accepted.
The power review board is a state agency created in 1963 to regulate Nebraska’s publicly owned electrical utility industry. It consists of five members appointed by the governor.
One of the primary functions of the board is to approve the construction of new electric generation facilities in the state and the construction or acquisition of transmission lines or related facilities carrying more than 700 volts.
Serving on the board are Frank Reida, Dennis Grennan, Stephen Lichter, Chuck Haase and Rick Morehouse.
The hearing is part of the process, the same steps which were followed when Prairie Breeze I wind farm applied for its permit.
During the construction phase, as many as 200 construction jobs and seven permanent jobs will be created with Prairie Breeze II. Once completed, Lincoln Electric System (LES) will purchase power generated from the wind farm as part of a 25-year contract.
Prairie Breeze II will be located on approximately 15,000 acres of land.
