(Primghar)– Several projects in O’Brien county could transform the economics of the area. KUOO’s Becky Thoreson has more…(click here for actuality.) After conducting multiple wind resource studies, Clean Line Energy selected O’Brien county as the site for the windward converter station, which is expected to maximize the opportunity for new wind farm development in the area. Kiana Johnson, Executive Director of the O’Brien County Economic Development Corporation, explains…“It’s a very big project and it’s not just O’Brien county. You know it benefits all of northwest Iowa because they’ll be able to have wind turbines. Clean Line is just putting up the coverter station so they’re going to take the AC energy, convert it to DC, then ship it out east. So they need the wind power. They’ll go out a 100 mile radius to get that wind power, so that could be Osceola, Clay, Cherokee, Sioux, all our surrounding counties. So it’s a big benefit for all of northwest Iowa.”
Johnson notes that up to 5,000 construction workers over the course of the project may be coming to the area and the impact will be tremendous… “The O’Brien County Economic Development Corporation did send out letters to our communities, we have eight incorporated communities, and also some interested people to let them know we are going to organize an effort, we’re going to have a county-wide meeting bringing everyone together, because it’s going to effect housing, healthcare, police protection, dining. Everyone’s going to be affected, so we really want to have an organized effort in trying to prepare for the impact this project is going to have on O’Brien county.”
She adds that several other projects are in the works in O’Brien county, including Mid America’s transmission station which is proposed in Lincoln Township with construction set to begin within the next year.
