WIND ON THE PRAIRIE

Hundreds of local hires expected for 79-turbine Dodge County wind energy implement, NextEra says

By Savannah Howe

With several months having passed since an update in the Herald on the Dodge County wind project, NextEra Energy has been busy in moving the 79-turbine endeavor towards the construction starting line.

According to project developer Mark Lennox, NextEra is “really excited” about where the project stands now.

“... Probably the most interesting piece of news is that we’ve completed our economic analysis that was done through the University of Minnesota Extension School,” Lennox said. In October, NextEra reported some estimated numbers of what the direct economic impact of the turbine array would be. “But with the school, we’re able to have a broader picture of what those impacts are.”

“We’re really tied in at the county level with the county environmental offices. We do walkthroughs of the site plans, and we make plans on all of the impacts that the project has on the county level.”

Mark Lennox NextEra Project Developer

Lake Benton II turbines stand in fields near Ruthton, Minnesota, on Aug. 14, 2019. Lake Benton II Wind Project was developed for Excel Energy by NextEra Energy. Photo provided

Wind towers, similar to these in rural Mower County, will soon have investment impacts in Mower, Dodge and Steele counties.

As reported by Lennox, the UM study found that NextEra’s investment into Dodge, Mower and Steele Counties will have “a really great impact,” creating 870 jobs over the life of the project and generating approximately $400 million in economic activity throughout the region over the next 30 years.

“Those [are] great benefits that we are able to talk about more specifically since October,” Lennox said.

The project’s timeline has been advancing on-schedule. NextEra recently submitted permit amendments, which currently are in the public comment stage with the Department of Commerce and the Minnesota Public Utility Commission. The energy developer is “hopeful to have [their] permits reviewed and approved roughly this time next year.”

“I think this community is going to benefit from the local jobs,” Matt Eissey, Senior Communications Specialist for NextEra, said. “It’s going to create local investments, and the economic impact of the tax revenue that it will provide for the community can go to local schools, local resources, possibly new roads. It’s going to have a broad spectrum of benefits for the area.”

With almost 10 years of development backing the wind project, environmental studies have been active, in-depth and rigorous, Lennox said, as is the State Department of Natural Resources’ and the US Fish and Wildlife Service’s review of NextEra’s findings. He explained that multiple studies have been conducted on impacts to wetlands and wildlife.

Eissey added that the land surrounding the turbine is remediated to its original state so landowners can continue to use it for farming purposes if they so choose.

“We’re really tied in at the county level with the county environmental offices,” Lennox said. “We do walkthroughs of the site plans, and we make plans on all of the impacts that the project has on the county level. At all levels of stakeholder activity, we try to be very active.”

Construction is still slated to kick off in May of 2023, and the company expects the turbines to be online by the end of that year.

Lennox said that NextEra has gotten a number of letters of support for the project since the dockets opened up in September, adding that the company has done “a lot of outreach to members of the community, ag community and economic development communities,” as well as local businesses.

Those dockets are posted publicly with the Minnesota Public Utility Commission, and Eissey says that NextEra encourages feedback via its website (dodgecountywind.com), through dodgecountywind@nexteraenergy.com, or through its Facebook page and newsletter. According to Lennox, this is the best way to watch for the job openings that NextEra will soon be posting.

“We will be active in letting people know job opportunities there, and we’re committed to being as local as possible when it comes to hiring for both the construction and the operation,” Lennox said. “So we will have job fairs to do outreach in the community for all of those open positions.”

With Austin and the surrounding regions a “wonderful area for renewable development,” the 79 turbines being installed in Dodge County is only the beginning of NextEra’s upcoming investments in southern Minnesota, Lennox said.

“We absolutely intend to continue working in these great communities that we’ve been in partner with for a long time,” Lennox said. P

Herald file photo