PARSONS – NextEra Energy Project Developer Zachary Melda explained a proposal for the Mountain Storm Energy Center, a project where wind turbines will be located in Grant County.

Melda and NextEra Energy Inc. Community Development Manager Jamie Gentile met with Tucker County Commissioners, Thomas Mayor Matt Quattro and Thomas resident Joe Dumire to learn more about the upcoming project.

“The project will be 150 megawatts and provide clean energy for about 40,000 homes,” Melda said. “All of the wind turbines will be located in Grant County. We are going to use GE Technology. From the bottom of the ground to the very tip top of the blade is about 150 feet. We expect to go into commercial operation by the end of 2018.”
Melda said the project will produce about 300 temporary construction jobs.
“The project itself will take six to 10 months to build,” he said. “During that time, there will be an influx of construction workers and you will see an uptick in your local businesses through hotels and restaurants and things like that.”
The project was started back in 2002.
“At that time, it was still called Mount Storm Wind Force Energy,” Melda said. “It received a site permit from the West Virginia Public Service Commission.”
He said they purchased the project. “For lack of a better term, we made it better,” he said. “The original project called for 166 turbines and we were able to take that down to 72. The predicted noise level from the turbines will be 44.3 decibels. To put that in perspective, it is about the level a refrigerator or air conditioner makes in the next room.”
Melda told Commissioners NextEra Energy is the number one provider of wind and solar energy in the United States and said they are investing in 28 different states and Canada.
“We have more than 100 wind farms we own and operate,” he said. “It’s not like we build them and leave. We will be here for the lifetime of the project. So it’s important for us to build good community partnerships with these projects. That is why we are here today – to reach out and start that relationship on this project.”
Commission President Lowell Moore asked the lifetime of a windmill.
“We expect them to last 25 to 30 years,” Melda said. “Probably at the 20 year mark we will go back in and look at doing a repower. That entails swapping out the old components for new components. Then the project can carry on for another 25 to 30 years.”
Commissioner Diane Hinkle said she had some Canaan Valley residents asking if the turbines will be in their viewshed.
“I don’t think 10 miles will affect the viewshed,” Melda said. “We went through an extensive viewshed analysis, especially of the protected areas to make sure we were within the limits as they are now. These are all things that are viewed by the West Virginia Public Service Commission. That hearing with the PSC is scheduled for Feb. 7. We will be talking with them about this project. Even though it has received a site permit, we still meet with them to make sure the state agrees with everything.”
Melda said the project should begin spring 2018. “We will use local labor as much as we can,” Melda said. “That makes sense economically.”
Dumire asked if NextEra Energy had completed an environmental impact study, and Melda said they had.
“My major concern is the impact on our city water source and supply,” Dumire said. “Someone had mentioned recently they thought there is marking around our reservoir for core drilling. Not only do several streams from Grant County feed our city reservoir, but the reservoir is also undermined from approximately 100 years ago. I am concerned about the impact this will have on the Thomas water supply.”
Melda said the wind turbines use no water.
Quattro asked about the transmission lines coming through from the wind farm. “The transmission line is right next to our reservoir,” Quattro said. “The question is if you are going to be running your transmission line from the field to the station through our reservoir or at least the area of supply.”
“We are a private company so we don’t have eminent domain rights or right of ways,” Gentile said. “We have to negotiate any paths we take through private land owners.”
Quattro said he was concerned about interrupting the water shed more than the reservoir itself. “It goes clear up to the Grant County line. I do not know if you are going to be within the water shed because I am not sure where the line goes. But there has been some indication that there will be core drilling near the reservoir.”
“I am worried about the future activity that is going to take place in the watershed of our reservoir and how that is going to affect us in Thomas,” Quattro said. “It may not but we need to make sure.”
Melda said he would get with the environmental folks. “They may have already looked at it,” he said.
Hinkle asked since there are not wind turbines in Tucker County, only transmission lines, if there would be any tax benefits for Tucker County.
“It’s all located on private property with private land owners,” Melda said.
Gentile said the county would benefit from construction permitting and that type of thing. He said once the project is completed, there would be five to 10 permanent jobs associated with the wind farm.
Hinkle asked Melda if they anticipated other projects in the area in the future. “I don’t want to give the impression that we don’t want wind power. We are just sensitive to the population we have here and the different concerns they have.”
“Yes, we do,” Melda said. “West Virginia has some very good wind. We don’t want to start something that isn’t wanted or something that negatively impacts the community. We do not have anything planned for Tucker County in the future.”
Moore said he would just like to see Tucker County benefit a little more than what they do from the existing towers. There are currently 44 wind towers in Tucker County.
Melda said he hoped Wednesday’s conversation was just the first of many more to come. “Given that we are already part of the community, let’s keep this dialogue open,” he said.
Additional information about NextEra Energy Inc. is available online at www.nexteraenergy.com