The Ohio Power Siting Board (OPSB) has approved agreements that will allow two wind energy developers to construct up to 227 wind turbines in the Hardin County, OH the Ada Herald reports. Up to 348 megawatts will be generated from the turbines, which will make the Hardin Wind Energy Farm the largest in the state. Construction is projected to begin later this year on the developments, undertaken by JW Great Lakes Wind, LLC (JWGL) and Hardin Wind Energy, LLC (HWL).
JWGL plans up to 27 wind turbines that can produce up to 48 MW of power, at a wind farm that will be located between Ada and Dola. HWL expects to construct up to 200 wind turbines yielding 300 MW on properties south of Alger and McGuffey.
OPSB Chairman Alan R. Schriber called the projects “an important step forward for Ohio’s alternative energy industry.”
“The Hardin Wind Energy wind farm will become the largest of its kind in Ohio. Wind projects such as this provide clean, renewable electricity and help to ensure Ohio meets the new alternative energy portfolio standard,” Schriber told the Herald.
Under Ohio’s alternative energy portfolio standard, by 2025, 25 percent of electricity sold in Ohio must be generated from alternative energy sources. At least half of this energy must come from renewable energy sources, including wind, and one half of the renewable energy facilities must be located in Ohio.
The construction phase, beginning this year, is expected to provide between 50 and 100 temporary construction jobs. The project will also include a 69 kilovolt overhead transmission line that will connect to American Electric Power’s (AEP) substation in Dunkirk, OH.
