The proposed $300-million Scout Clean Energy Nimbus Wind Project has obtained all leases needed from landowners in rural Carroll County near Green Forest for what would be the state’s first commercial wind farm, Project Nimbus Wind Manager Dave Iadarola said. He added that the project was originally developed by another company dating back as far as 2005, and Scout Clean Energy took over development of the project in 2016.
The project is proposed to generate 180 megawatts of energy.
“This would represent a significant capital investment in Carroll County,” Iadarola said. “At the peak of construction there will be more than two hundred construction workers on the project. These folks will be eating, using local businesses, using RV hookups, and buying groceries while working on the project. These workers will create indirect economic benefits to Green Forest and other local communities. The project will create about 200 construction jobs and ten new full-time employee jobs.
“We have leased about 9,500 acres for this project,” Iadarola said. “These are all voluntary agreements. There are some landowners who declined to lease to us, but it doesn’t prevent us from doing the project. We wouldn’t be able to cross anyone if they weren’t willing to participate. The project follows CR 905 back onto Highway 412 and Highway 103 with some offshoots off CR 905. That is the main artery that runs through the project.”
Iadarola said the project will generate more than $25 million in property tax revenue over the 30-year life of the project, which he said will benefit the residents of Carroll County. He estimated participating landowners will be paid approximately $14 million over the life of the project.
Former County Judge Richard Williams, who lives on CR 905, has raised a number of concerns about the project including no public meetings about the project, road widening and filing approved by former County Judge Sam Barr without notice to the quorum court or the public, disruption from lights, loud noises, vibrations and concerns about how the heavy, tall wind turbines would impact the fragile karst environment. Williams said there are two hillsides on his property that have collapsed. Sinkholes, caves and springs are common in areas with karst geology, where erosion of underground limestone produces fissures, sinkholes, underground streams and caverns.
“We are keenly aware of the karst situation and working to address that through our geotechnical work,” Iadarola said. “We are currently taking samples from every potential turbine location. If there are karst concerns, we have to determine if we can construct the turbine safely. If there is an issue, we will eliminate that location for potential construction.”
Scout has also been testing CR 905 to determine if the subsurface can support the heavy turbine blades and towers and the equipment that would need to be transported on the gravel road.
Williams also said he had read each turbine uses 80 gallons of oil per day. Iadarola said depending on turbine type, there is self-contained lubricant within the gear box. Generally, the lubricant within the gearbox is changed every five years. He said when the lubricant is changed out, the old lubricant is recycled.
Williams also said that maps show there is poor wind quality in the area. Iadarola said the metrological testing, going back as far as the early-2000s has proven the wind velocity is sufficient to continue with the project. Also, the wind turbine technology has become more efficient and is able to economically generate electricity at some sites that were not viable 10-years ago.
Regarding no public meetings, Iadarola said company representatives have tried to talk to every single person around CR 905. He said they have had some community meetings, and they plan to have more prior to the start of construction. “We are working with landowners, county officials and other stakeholders across the county to develop the project and get it to the place where it is ready for construction,” he said.
In other areas of the country where Scout Clean Energy proposed wind projects, with some wind turbines more than 400 feet tall, there was major opposition including concerns about how views would be impacted. Iadarola said to date they haven’t had much push back as far as the view is concerned in Carroll County, but they certainly understand there are folks who may feel that way.
“If that is the case, we will try to talk to them on an individual basis to see what we can do, if anything,” he said. “We are trying to work with folks and be a part of the community. But there are only certain things we can do, and those might not be satisfactory to those not participating in the project.”
Iadarola said they haven’t determined what type of turbine they are going to be using yet or how tall they will be, but they will be more than 200 feet tall.
Another concern raised was who will purchase the power.
“We have not signed a power purchase agreement yet, but we plan on connecting into the Midcontinent Independent System Operator the regional transmission system and are talking with several different off takers about the purchase of power,” Iadarola said. “This project will help the off taker, whoever it is, to diversify its energy resources.”
MISO manages the flow of high-voltage electricity across 15 U.S. states and the Canadian province of Manitoba and states on its website that it is one of the world’s largest energy markets with more than $40 billion in annual transactions.
A severe winter storm in 2021 brought extremely low temperatures and power outages in Arkansas, Texas and other states. Some natural gas well heads and wind turbines froze up and power providers were unable to produce enough electricity leading to an estimated 246 deaths in Texas. Iadarola said the company takes into account the weather and prevailing conditions and, in certain areas of the country, cold weather packages are installed on wind turbines to make sure they can operate in extreme weather conditions.