Construction is underway on a 99-megawatt wind farm near Riceville.
    The Crane Creek Wind Project will consist of 66 GE 1.5 megawatt wind turbines and is expected to generate electricity to provide for the energy needs of approximately 27,000 homes serviced by investor-owned electric and natural gas utility Wisconsin Public Service, who will take over ownership of the project upon completion.
    About 50-60 construction workers began working at the site of the Crane Creek Wind Project, located at 9895 Fir Ave. in rural Riceville, on April 13. So far, crews have been busy mobilizing the construction site, pouring foundations for each turbine and creating access roads.
    Although the recent rain has slowed them down a bit, crews are still trying to aim for their goal of beginning turbine erection in July. An additional 200-250 contracted workers will join them in mid-June. Crews are expected to finish constructing the towers in early September. Dec. 1 is the anticipated completion date for the project.
    The majority of the power generated will be used by the Wisconsin utility’s customers, but some of the energy will flow into the local  electricity grid as well, according to Wisconsin Public Service Corporation Project Manager Conrad Weis.
    “The energy will go wherever it’s needed,” Weis said.
    This is the third and largest wind farm Wisconsin Public Service will own. They also own two small wind farms in Wisconsin. The energy generated from the Crane Creek project will help the utility meet Wisconsin’s required regulation of generating 10 percent of all retail electric sales from renewable power by 2015.
    The Wisconsin-based utility is purchasing the wind from for $251 million from developer enXco, an EDF Energies Nouvelles Company based in Paris, France.
    EnXco, Inc., an EDF-EN Company  develops, constructs, operates and manages renewable energy projects throughout the United States. The company’s portfolio includes solar and biomass technologies, in an effort to help drive the nation’s transition to a sustainable energy economy. EnXco has opened a local office which they plan to keep in the area even after development is completed. The office will open up about six or seven jobs, most of which will be local hires.
    The Crane Creek Wind Project is one of two wind farms which are currently underway in Howard County. The other, Pioneer Prairie Wind Farm, is owned by Horizon Wind Energy.
    Construction crews will stay in rental properties and hotels throughout northeast Iowa and southeast Minn. Cresco Area Chamber of Commerce and Howard County Economic Development officials are expecting the visiting crews to give a boost to the local economy.
    Most of the crews are being contracted through Mortensen Construction, based in Minnesota. EnXco and WPS are also working with local companies on the project as much as possible, including local excavation and power equipment businesses.
    The wind turbines will be located within an area of about 30 square miles, almost all of which is farmland.
    Kurt Grover, a lifetime farmer in the Saratoga area, has toured the two wind farms in Howard County in a Paraplane he owns, allowing him to get a closer look at the projects.
    “It’s an exciting time to live in Howard County with all the renewable energy being developed,” he said.
    He and his wife, Cindi, currently have wind easements for the deployment of future wind turbines on their farm, but whether they receive one or not, he said, depends on finding room on the power transmission line to export their energy produced.
     “The current and future wind farms will have a huge impact in this area, some good – increased property  tax revenue, construction crews visiting our towns and the chance Howard county can showcase itself to visitors – and some not as good – taking land out of production, hundreds of miles of buried powerlines and the scenery changed forever,” Grover said.
    Only about an acre of farmland will be lost for each wind turbine that is erected, Weis said. The rest of the property will continue to be available to utilize as farmland. Farmers who have a turbine located on their property receive yearly monetary incentives.
    Weis said the utility chose northeast Iowa for the farm because the northern third of the state is an ideal wind resource. The land area, low population and wide open spaces also impacted the company’s decision to build here.
    WPS plans to hold a blade signing event sometime in July to celebrate the first turbine being constructed.