Informational meeting tonight on wind

MORGAN - An open house and public information meeting for a Large Wind Energy Conversion System (LWECS) in Brown and Redwood counties begins at 5 p.m., today at AgQuest.

The Minnesota Office of Energy Security Energy Facilities Permitting (EFP) staff will host a public information meeting on the project application at 6 p.m.

Interested people may comment orally at the public meeting on the application, the draft site permit and generally on the project.

Written comments may be submitted to the Office of Energy Security by the close of business - 4:30 p.m., on Tuesday, Sept. 29.

Written comments may be submitted by mail, fax, e-mail, or directly on line at the PUC web site maintained for the project.

Any person may request a more formal contested case hearing on the site permit proceeded for the LWECS pursuant to state law.

Contested case hearing requests must filed with OES Project Manager Suzanne Steinhauser in writing by 4:30 p.m., Sept. 29.

People requesting a contested case hearing must list issues sought to be addressed at the hearing and the reason why a contested case hearing is required to resolve those issues.

Morgan Wind Acquisition Group, LLC, filed a LWECS Site Permit Application with the Minnesota Public Utility Commission on May 22.

The commission accepted the application on June 29 and approved the issuance of a draft Site Permit on Aug. 4.

The project will consist of up to 21 1.5-megawatt, 262-foot high wind turbines to be built between Evan and Morgan.

It will require associated facilities including access roads, a permanent meteorological tower, an underground electrical collection system, a project substation and a connection to the electrical grid system.

The project may include an operations and maintenance building and 10-15 acres of land.

Morgan Wind plans to start project construction in late this year or early 2010 and begin operation in late 2010.

Morgan Wind Acquisition Group, LLC, does not have the power of eminent domain to acquire project land or wind rights.

Land and wind rights necessary for the project must be in the form of voluntary easements or lease agreements between individual landowners and Morgan Wind.

The site permit application, draft site permit, and links to other OES guidance documents and agency rules guiding the review process can be viewed at energyfacilities.puc.state.mn.us/Docket.html?ID-20057

or on dDockets by entering "09" and "360" at www.edockets.state.mn.us/EFiling/search.jsp

Questions about the project and site permit application can be directed to Morgan Wind Acquisition Group by contacting Marilyn Soltis at 612-332-0607, Ext. 107, or marilyn@mwwind.com

For more information, call 1-800-657-3794, fax 651-297-7891 or TTY: Minnesota Relay Service, 800-627-3529, and ask for the DOC.

(Fritz Busch can be e-mailed at fbusch@nujournal.com).

Member Comments

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probst
09-15-09 9:50 AM »Report Abuse	I've known quite a few "large winds" around here. Never thought they could be put to good use, though.

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