Renewable energy provider, Heritage Sustainable Energy, announced plans to commence construction of the proposed Garden Wind Farm Expansion in Fairbanks Township.
“The project was approved by the Delta County Planning Commission earlier this year; a total of 36 turbine sites were approved at that time” stated Xiomara Gerlach, Project Manager for Heritage. According to Gerlach,
Heritage has continued to conduct studies and engineering, and the Company is now planning to install turbines at 20 of the approved sites.
The Project will be installed in two stages in 2019 and 2020 with 5 turbine sites installed in 2019 and the remaining 15 turbine sites planned for installation by the end of 2020.
“We are excited to bring this Project to fruition after a long planning and permitting process” added Gerlach. Heritage is planning to mobilize construction crews as early as mid-October of this year. Construction and electrical contracts have been awarded to Michigan Companies Barton Malow Construction Company of Southfield, and Detroit-based Motor City Electric Utilities.
Landowners in the area with wind energy leases are also looking forward to the project coming on line. Herman and Ellen Robere of Fairbanks Township commented that “Our family farm has been in the Robere name for over 100 years. We are excited to be a part of the next phase of the wind energy development because the revenue from the wind farm could help keep the farm in the family for many more years to come!”
TJ Thomas, Executive Director of the Delta County Economic Development Alliance, expressed support for the Project, stating that “the need for affordable and sustainable energy remains a top issue for the current and future economic development across our region. The availability of renewable energy is a major factor that developers consider when qualifying a location for prospective investment. Through the success of past projects in Delta County, Heritage Sustainable Energy has proven themselves to be a partner of our region’s local economy in terms of job creation, material purchases, contributions to an enhanced tax base; and generous donations to local schools and community services. We are proud to endorse this expansion project in our community and express our support.”
In 2012 Heritage completed the construction of the 14-turbine Garden Wind Farm Phase I, north of the Village of Garden. The installation of 20 additional turbines
will bring the total to 34 wind turbines on the Garden Peninsula. Heritage owns and operates wind and solar energy facilities across the State of Michigan totaling 141.2 megawatts (MW) of installed capacity. The Garden Expansion would add another 80 MW of clean energy generation to the Company’s portfolio.
