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A ceremonial groundbreaking Wednesday morning, June 22, signified the official start of construction on the Walleye Wind Energy Center in western Rock County.
The ceremony took place in the middle of a soybean field in Section 3 of Beaver Creek Township where one of 40 wind turbines will be built.
About 50 landowners, city, state and county officials, representatives from NextEra Energy and the Minnesota Municipal Power Agency attended the event.
NextEra Energy of Juno Beach, Florida, is the energy center’s project developer and hosted the event.
“While we celebrate today — the beginning of construction on the Walleye Wind Energy Center — this is hardly the beginning,” said NextEra’s Mark Lennox. “This project has been years in the making.”
NextEra purchased the planned wind farm from the original developer, RES, in 2019.
“When you begin a new project, you never know how you’ll be perceived, what you’ll encounter along the way and sometimes you wonder if you will even enjoy a day like today where we celebrate new beginnings,” he added.
Local officials praised NextEra for pursuing green renewable energy in Rock County, allowing the state to be less dependent on fossil fuel energy sources.
Among the speakers were State Representative Joe Schomacker, Rock County Commissioner Gary Overgaard, Luverne Area Chamber Executive Director Jane Lanphere, and Luverne City Council member and Mayor Pro Tem Caroline Thorson.
“It is great for our region to be able to contribute in a way many regions throughout the state and around the country just can’t,” Schomacker said.
The wind energy center is expected to boost the economy for the next 30 years through land use payments and tax revenue, he said.
A more immediate economic boost is expected from the 185 construction workers who will make Rock County their temporary homes as the Walleye Wind is built.
Once finished, the project will require three to four permanent employees.
Thorson, who spoke on the behalf of the city of Luverne, noted the positive impact for the city.
“As Luverne is an agri-business community like the other cities in our county, our Main Street and community businesses are stronger when our agricultural community is thriving and successful,” she said.
A partner in the groundbreaking ceremony was Minnesota Municipal Power Agency, who agreed to purchase the electricity generated by the 110-megawatt Walleye Wind for the next 30 years.
The MMPA consists of the cities of Anoka, Arlington, Brownton, Buffalo, Chaska, East Grand Folks, Elk River, LeSueur, North St. Paul, Olivia, Shakopee and Winthrop.
The locally used power will be a positive environmental impact in the area.
“Thanks to this project we will be able to reduce emissions equivalent of taking 40,000 cars off the road each year,” said NextEra’s Kevin Gildea.
The Walleye Wind Energy Center encompasses more than 31,000 acres in Rock County in the townships of Beaver Creek, Springwater and Luverne.
Construction is expected to be finished by the end of the year, with the energy center functional in 2023.