Wind Today - Q4 2008 - (Page 29) during construction, there was some necessary repair work in the fields due to soil compaction. There have also been some repairs of damaged field drainage tiles from heavy equipment driving over them during construction. “If a landowner finds backfill, leaks, or broken tile due to construction in their trenching,” says Mallonee, “we send a crew out to repair the damage.” andowners Landowners Hunt says the Benton County Wind Farm’s turbines are fairly evenly distributed throughout an area of about 9,250 acres. The region is predominantly agricultural, producing corn and soybeans. Most of the landowners are farmers. “One of the good things about building a wind farm in prime farmland,” says Hunt, “is that most farmers understand what it’s like to see crop prices go from $7 per bushel to $4 per bushel in a single month’s time.” On the other hand, Hunt says with wind, there are no price fluctuations based on commodity prices and no uncertainty due to changes in fuel price. “There’s an economic incentive for a landowner to be able to diversify or hedge his personal source of income with a stable long-term lease payment,” says Hunt. According to the developer, landowners receive production payments from the wind farm based on the amount of energy produced by the wind turbines on their property. “When the wind farm wins, the landowner wins,” says Hunt. “If production goes up, the wind farm has an increase in revenue, and so does the landowner.” Other benefits to the community include substantial property taxes paid by the wind farm allowing for better roads, better schools, and lots of other improvements, Hunt reports. “There’s no question that we become good neighbors with people in the community,” says Hunt. “Our approach has been to stay involved with this project at every level, from start to finish,” says Kreg Kitchen, asset manager for OEG. “OEG remains as managing member of the operational facility.” Kitchen says that both OEG and Vision Energy plan to hold and operate these wind farms for the long term. “This is a challenge that both OEG and Vision Energy enjoy,” he says. Christine Coates, editor Supplier list on page 30. Response No. 291 29 http://www.gpcoenergy.com http://www.gpcoenergy.com http://www.gpcoenergy.com
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