Wind Farm Functional

Posted: Tuesday, 27 May 2008 2:41PM

Construction Wraps Up For Michigan's First Major Wind Farm

Madison, Wis.-based WindConnect said Tuesday it had completed construction of the Harvest Wind Farm, located on 3,200 acres in Huron County. Harvest is the first utility-scale wind facility to operate in Michigan.

As general contractor, WindConnect managed construction of the turbine foundations, roadways, underground collection system, and the interconnection substation at the site. WindConnect also provided significant site development services to get the site construction-ready. Final commissioning and testing were completed in January, and the system began commercial operation in February.

"Huron County has consistently strong winds for this part of the U.S., making it a prime location for providing renewable energy," says Mark Osten, WindConnect director of business development. "This is a major step forward for Michigan's renewable energy future, and WindConnect is proud to have built this important renewable energy resource for John Deere Wind Energy."

John Deere Wind Energy is the owner and developer of the Harvest Wind Farm. Wolverine Power Cooperative has signed an agreement to purchase the energy produced at the site. Wolverine plans to sell the energy to its member companies and retail customers throughout Michigan.

"John Deere and WindConnect have done an excellent job working with the area residents and officials to make the Harvest Wind Farm a showcase for the community," said Russ Lundberg, Director of Huron County's Building and Zoning Office. "We are very pleased with the way the community was treated and the final product produced by the team."

The Harvest Wind Farm consists of 32 Vestas V82 wind turbines, with a capacity to produce 53 megawatts of electricity. The development will provide enough power to supply over 14,000 homes, and will save approximately 127,000 tons per year of greenhouse gas emissions from what otherwise would have been produced from fossil generators.

WindConnect is a trademark of RMT Inc., a non-regulated subsidiary of Alliant Energy Corp. (NYSE: LNT). WindConnect has provided wind energy construction, engineering, design and development services for more than 3,000 megawatts of wind farm projects across the U.S.

Moer at www.rmtinc.com.

© MMVIII WWJ Radio, All Rights Reserved.