Two public hearings will take place next week for the proposed Walleye Wind Farm project in west central Rock County.
The Minnesota Utilities Commission is conducting the meetings to gather public input as to whether the project should be issued a site permit and a certificate of need for the proposed project to move forward.
The hearings are scheduled for 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. Tuesday, May 4.
“The hearings will be identical in that they will provide identical presentations and address the same information,” said Michael Kaluzniak, senior energy facility planner for the PUC. “The only difference would be the public comments received and their responses at the hearings.”
Kaluzniak stressed that it is not necessary for the public to participate in both hearings.
“Adminstrative Law Judge James Mortenson decided that in light of the COVID-19 restrictions and the challenges in conducting remote hearings during the pandemic, it would be appropriate to hold a second hearing to provide an additional opportunity for the public to participate.”
Participation can be by telephone to listen and provide verbal comments or by internet for video only and no audio. To both hear and see the presentations, participants must sign on to both.
“It was also decided to extend the comment period on the project for seven days to enhance the public participation opportunities,” Kaluzniak said.
The hearings are one of the last steps before commission members vote on whether to grant the permit and certificate for the project to proceed.
Hearing seeks comment on three questions
The commission is seeking input on three questions:
• Should the commission issue a certificate of need for the proposed large wind energy conversion system?
• Should the commission grant a site permit for the proposed large wind energy conversion system?
• If granted, what additional conditions or requirements should be included in the permit?
NextEra Energy Resources based in June Beach, Florida, are the developers of the Walleye Wind Farm project.
NextEra filed for the site permit and certificate of need in July 2020. An environmental impact hearing was conducted in December 2020 with the final report completed in March 2021.
The report is available on the PUC website, mn.gov/puc.
Instructions on how to participate in the May 4 public hearings was printed in the April 15 Rock County Star Herald.
Deadline for written comments is 4:30 p.m. Friday, May 14.
About the Walleye Wind project
The proposed 109.2 megawatt wind farm will involve the construction of 40 wind turbines over 49 square miles (31,000 acres) in the townships of Beaver Creek, Luverne, Martin and Springwater.