Wind energy production taxes bring in record amounts in 2022

Rock County will collect nearly $1 million in wind energy production taxes in 2023.
The amount due is from the four wind farms currently operating in the county for taxes payable by April 1.
The total amount, $936,102, is the most production tax collected in the county and is an increase over last year.
“It’s a pretty substantial increase,” said auditor-treasurer Ashley Kurtz at the Rock County Commissioners’ meeting March 14.
The county collected $767,870 in 2021 from three wind farms in the county.
The fourth, Walleye Wind LLC, came online in late 2022 when 40 turbines were constructed in western Rock County. With a couple of months of operation, Walleye Wind generated $35,548 in taxes in 2022.
Other wind farms, township locations, number of turbines, and the amount in tax generated in 2022 include:
•Prairie Rose Wind LLC, Springwater, Rose Dell, Denver, 119, $890,445.
•Rock County Wind Fuel LLC; Luverne, two, $7,990.
•Community Renewables, Martin, four, $1,620.
Of the total production tax, 20 percent is forwarded to the townships where the turbines are located, and the rest, 80 percent, is used by the county.
The county’s portion is used to complete annual payments to two general obligation bonds issued in 2014 and 2015 for the county’s broadband and road improvement projects.
After the bond repayments, the rest of the tax money is used by the county highway department for equipment purchases.
Townships split $187,220 of the 2022 wind production tax.
The township and the tax amount include:
•Beaver Creek, $7,110
•Denver, $95,779
•Luverne, $1,598
•Martin, $424
•Rose Dell, $68,841
•Springwater, $13,469