Plymouth County, Iowa — Wind turbines dot the landscape around northwest Iowa, and now plans are under way to construct a 200-megawatt wind farm in Plymouth County.
A Chicago based company, Invenergy, is currently seeking easements from landowners. Plymouth County Zoning Administrator Alan Lucken says the plan calls for between 80 and 88 wind generator turbines all of which would be located in the eastern townships of Plymouth County. The company needs to secure all of the landowner easements, and then meet with Plymouth County’s Board of Adjustment. That meeting would be a time for public input.
Lucken says there are opinions on both sides.
He says landowners could earn as much as 15-thousand dollars in payments for each windmill turbine on their property. There also those who are not in favor of the proposed project.
There is presently only one wind turbine generator located in Plymouth County. It is situated near Akron, but Lucken says it hasn’t worked for several years. The proposed windmill turbines would stand 500 feet tall.
