Logan County Board Committee hears concern on potential Atlanta wind farm

 

[June 05, 2019] 

At the Logan County Planning and Zoning Committee meeting held on Wednesday, May 1st, one focus of discussion was on how turbine interference might affect the weather radar.

At March’s Board Workshop, Dave Opperman of the Logan County Farm Bureau said the Farm Bureau had concerns that the Invenergy’s plans for a wind farm near Atlanta would be in a mitigation zone and could impact the ability of the National Weather Service to see weather radar and put out tornado warnings.

Opperman urged the board to consider safety issues and possible significant impacts on the radar due to the proximity to a weather station.

Board Chairman Emily Davenport recommended that the issue be sent back to the Planning and Zoning Committee for more discussion.

Committee Chairman David Hepler said he wrote to the National Weather Service to get more information and confirm any of the statements made as being factual, but has not received a response from them.

Hepler then turned the floor over to the Invenergy representatives so they could discuss how they handle weather situations.

Jim Griffin, the attorney representing Invenergy, addressed the issue. Griffin has been working with wind energy development for many years and said all wind projects close to a national weather service radar are reviewed for weather impacts and compatibility. He said that goes up to 16 kilometers (almost 10 miles) from the radar.

The National Weather Service has an extensive review process and according to their website, they are reviewing 10 to 15 projects a month in proximity to one of their sites throughout the country. Griffin said that is hundreds of reviews each year, so it is nothing new for the NWS, who do a thorough impact analysis of wind farms. The analysis of the National Weather Service and information or concerns about any impacts are made available to the public.

Wind energy developers must submit project information to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), who then submits information to other agencies including the National Weather Service, the Department of Defense, and the Department of Commerce. Griffin said they are all looking at project impacts on communication or other areas such as federal assets.

The National Weather Service receives information about projects and turbine locations. Griffin said the NWS has a “no-build zone” where turbines cannot be built due to possible impacts. Outside that zone, there are different thresholds reviewed for impacts. If necessary, changes are made to a project layout to avoid negative impacts on the forecasting abilities of the radar system.

The Invenergy project is still under development, but would undergo this process as they get further along in their plans. The agencies will get information about the project, analyze it and make the results available. Griffin said the board would have the information available to utilize in making decisions.

Committee member Chuck Ruben said the first wind farm in the county [Railsplitter] had a letter from the National Weather Service, but when the board looked at the next project, the NWS said they no longer issue letters though they still review projects.

Griffin said comment letters are still issued, but some projects may be under the threshold for impacts.

Hepler asked what would happen if some catastrophic weather event like a tornado was missed [by the radar].

Griffin said the National Weather Service is the best source of information and has never failed to issue a warning based on the existence of a wind farm, which is something listed on their website.

Committee member Scott Schaffenacker asked what zones are there besides the no-build zone.

The National Weather Service website lists three other zones related to possible impacts, which are mitigation zone, consultation zone, and notification zone. Griffin said in the mitigation zone, the NWS may ask for certain adjustments to the project. In the consultation zone, the NWS may or may not request adjustments. In the notification zone, the NWS just wants to know when and where a project is being developed so they have the information in their systems.

Hepler asked about the recommendation for factors in a mitigation zone and whether turbines are turned off in extreme weather conditions.

If needed, Griffin said they may suggest how to lay out a project differently to reduce the impact. There may also be operational recommendations. He said turbines do not operate when it is too windy, or the weather is severe.

Katya Samoteskul, one of the Invenergy project developers, said to preserve the equipment in bad weather, turbines have an automatic shutdown and feather in place. That prevents equipment from rotating out of control.

Samoteskul said as they work on plans, the Invenergy project is focusing on land, developing buildable area maps and answering people’s questions and concerns. They are completing their second year of environmental studies and other impact studies will be done before Invenergy submits their application for approval.

[Angela Reiners]