Company Sets Standard with Unprecedented Conservation Efforts in Kansas
KANSAS CITY, Kan., Sept. 24 /PRNewswire/ -- Horizon Wind Energy, LLC, a
leading wind project developer, owner, and operator, signed an agreement
today with the Ranchland Trust of Kansas [RTK] and The Nature Conservancy
of Kansas [Conservancy] that demonstrates an unprecedented investment by a
wind farm developer in prairie ecosystem conservation. Horizon Wind Energy
will invest in a 20,000-acre offsite habitat restoration program, including
an anticipated 13,100 acres of permanent conservation easements, which will
benefit numerous species of grassland birds, with targeted benefits for the
greater prairie-chicken. Horizon's investment agreement, brokered by Wayne
Walker Conservation Consulting LLC, will supplement additional investment
provided by wildlife conservation groups and state and federal agencies.
The purpose of this venture is to offset the potential on-site impacts of
Horizon's Meridian Way Wind Farm on the greater prairie-chicken and other
grassland species. According to the agreement, the Conservancy may advance
loans to RTK, if needed, to assure timely completion of major habitat
restoration and protection work. Ranchland Trust of Kansas will hold and
manage the associated conservation easements.
"Horizon believes that wind energy must be developed in a responsible
and progressive manner that moves towards achieving a sustainable domestic
energy supply while protecting local ecological resources. We are happy to
make this investment in the natural environment of the State of Kansas,"
said Chief Development Officer, Gabriel Alonso.
"We are excited about this project, because it provides a rare
opportunity to leverage significant private resources for the permanent
protection of privately owned grasslands, improvement of grazing resources,
and enhancement of wildlife habitat on privately owned ranch lands," said
Mike Beam, Executive Director of RTK. "The RTK Board of Directors has a
passion for conserving our nation's grasslands for future generations, and
this project is a big boost in our efforts to make a difference. RTK's
volunteer Board of Directors and staff are grateful to have gained
Horizon's confidence in our ability to do the job."
Horizon Wind Energy hired a team of world-class Kansas prairie
scientists in 2003 to determine the potential local ecological impacts of
the construction and operation of the Meridian Way Wind Farm, located in
Cloud County. The team included Professor Emeritus of Kansas State
University and Kansas' leading prairie grouse biologist, Dr. Robert Robel;
Kansas State University Professor of Park Management and Conservation, Dr.
Ted Cable; and Prairie Ecologist of the Kansas Biological Survey, Dr. Kelly
Kindscher. Their multi-year effort resulted in the best available research
and studies on conservation in Kansas' special grassland ecosystem. In
addition, Horizon invited the Kansas Chapter of The Nature Conservancy to
visit the Meridian Way Wind Farm site to provide an independent habitat
impact assessment early in the development phase.
The outcome of the pre-construction investigations was a detailed
report describing the likely risks the project might pose to the greater
prairie-chicken, other grassland birds, and the grassland prairie ecosystem
that occupies a portion of the project footprint. The study sited possible
impacts resulting from habitat fragmentation from roads and the presence of
tall wind turbine towers. The report further recommends how to effectively
mitigate for impacts to the greater prairie-chicken and the likely costs
associated with mitigating voluntarily.
Based upon these scientific findings, Horizon Wind Energy committed to
fund a voluntary conservation program and included the cost of the
ecological offsets program into the wind farm's financial model. When the
company responded to utilities' requests for proposals for wind energy, the
energy price "internalized" the projected local environmental impact, which
is typically treated as an "externality" in traditional economic models.
Avoiding net ecological losses often associated with such development in
native prairies will allow this project to provide "green" energy in a more
holistic sense of the term. The benefits to Horizon included the
opportunity to uniquely market the Meridian Way Wind Farm by highlighting
the use of voluntarily conservation for on-site impacts as a competitive
advantage in the marketplace and providing Meridian Way's customers with
the assurance that they would buy electricity from a full-cycle,
responsibly developed project. Horizon is optimistic that this project and
associated conservation will set a high standard for responsible
development across the wind industry as wind provides an ever greater
percentage of both the nation's and world's energy supply. Meridian Way
Wind Farm, with 201 MW of installed capacity, will power more than 65,000
homes served by The Empire Electric District and Westar Energy in the
Kansas region with clean, renewable energy.
The Conservancy's Kansas State Director, Alan Pollom, sees great
promise for the implementation of this project. "In addition to the habitat
rehabilitation and protection benefits, it also sets a solid standard for
ecologically responsible wind energy development. I would urge all wind
developers and power purchasers to embrace the reality that concern for our
environment extends well beyond the issue of air emissions. We applaud the
Ranchland Trust of Kansas for their leadership, as well as Horizon for
their enlightened approach to this initiative."
In June 2007 Horizon Wind Energy signed a 105 megawatt power purchase
agreement with the Empire District Electric Company. In September of 2007
Horizon signed a 96 MW power purchase agreement with Westar Energy.
"From their earliest days in Kansas and our first conversations,
Horizon was exceptionally committed to understanding the potential
environmental impacts of wind turbines on wildlife. Their siting choices,
the broadly beneficial conservation easements, and the on-going cooperative
research on the turbines' effects on greater prairie-chickens well reflect
the high value placed on the prairie and its wildlife by the partners in
the Meridian Way project. Westar Energy is proud to be a part of this,"
said Brad Loveless, Manager, Biology and Conservation Programs, Westar
Energy.
About Horizon Wind Energy
Based in Houston, Texas and with regional offices in New York, Oregon,
Illinois, California, Colorado, and Minnesota, Horizon Wind Energy has
developed more than 2,000 megawatts (MW), operates over 1,500 MW of wind
farms. Horizon currently has over 11,000 MW in its development pipeline.
Horizon is owned by EDP Renovaveis, a global leader in the renewable energy
sector. Currently, EDP Renovaveis is the world's fourth largest wind energy
company. For more information, please visit http://www.horizonwind.com.
About Ranchland Trust of Kansas
The Ranchland Trust of Kansas (RTK) is a land trust affiliated with the
Kansas Livestock Association (KLA), headquartered in Topeka, Kansas. KLA,
formed in 1894, is a trade association that represents the state's
multi-billion dollar cattle industry at both the state and federal levels,
with a focus on legislative and regulatory issues. In 2003, KLA leaders
formed RTK as a separate charitable conservation organization, with a
mission to preserve Kansas' ranching heritage and open spaces for future
generations through the conservation of working landscapes. More
information is available at http://www.ranchlandtrustofkansas.org.
About The Nature Conservancy
The Nature Conservancy is a leading conservation organization working
around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for
nature and people. Since 1951 the Conservancy has protected more than 117
million acres of land and works in all 50 states and more than 30
countries. Visit The Nature Conservancy on the Web at http://www.nature.org. Learn
more about The Nature Conservancy in Kansas at http://www.nature.org/kansas.
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SOURCE Horizon Wind Energy, LLC
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Related links:
http://www.horizonwind.com
http://www.nature.org http://www.nature.org/kansas
http://www.ranchlandtrustofkansas.org
CONTACT:
Communications Manager, Sarah Bray,
+1-713-265-0310, or Cell, +1-832-226-2116, or Fax,
+1-713-265-0365, sarah.bray@horizonwind.com, of Horizon Wind
Energy, LLC
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