Apex hopeful about placing wind turbines in Henry and Rush counties

Koziar said the company was nearing completion of a road use agreement in Henry County and that he anticipates a decommissioning and an economic development agreement to be ready before year end. Both Apex and the Henry County Commissioners will have to sign off on the three agreements before the project can proceed.

He said an appeal that Apex filed regarding a Rush County decision to require 2,300-foot setbacks is still being worked through.

“We want to complete our work in Henry County so that if there is a chance to potentially just build the Henry County portion we want to be ready for that,” Koziar said.

Late Friday, Dan Blondeau, Apex’s public affairs manager, confirmed much of what Koziar told the commissioners.

“The appeal (in Rush County) is currently under review, and we’re hopeful for a positive outcome,” Blondeau said. “Apex continues to meet with residents to discuss details of the project and share information about wind energy. We continue to explore ways that we can increase our positive presence in the community, and we remain eager for the opportunity to bring the benefits of this project to the region, including millions of dollars for Rush County schools.”

Blondeau said that the company is looking at options for moving forward.

“Both counties are important for the Flat Rock Wind project. If an agreement cannot be reached in Rush County, we will re-evaluate the project needs to determine our path forward,” he said. “Our goal is to invest roughly $300 million to produce up to 180 megawatts of clean, homegrown energy. We will continue to evaluate the project and our goals as additional information is received.”

Another major hurdle that must be cleared before turbines are erected involves finding someone to buy the energy they produce.

“We are currently speaking with several potential off-takers who are interested in purchasing the power from the Flat Rock project,” he said. “Our goal remains to complete the project in early 2017.”

New Castle-Henry County Economic Development Corporation President and CEO Corey Murphy said the EDC continues to hope Apex finds a way to complete the Flat Rock Wind project.

“The EDC is happy to continue to support this project in hopes it will move forward and become operational. The Flat Rock Wind Farm is good for Henry County; it brings substantial new capital investment and allows our region to be a player in renewable energy production,” Murphy said.