Cerro Gordo Wind Farm project begins to take shape

(Above) A photo of the first foundation put in place for one of 16 wind turbines which will comprise a new Cerro Gordo County Wind Farm south of Clear Lake. -Submitted photo.

by Marianne Gasaway

A small city has taken shape south of Clear Lake, as crews are in the midst of rebuilding the Cerro Gordo County Wind Farm.

In February, NextEra Energy Resources LLC began the $50 million project which involves replacing 55 turbines with 16 new ones which will generate the same amount of energy.  The new turbines will stand 291-feet tall, compared to the 187-foot tall units which each generate slightly less than one megawatt of energy.

Twenty-five landowners are involved in the current project.

“Since building the Cerro Gordo Wind Energy Center in 1999 there have been significant enhancements in turbine technology,” stated Project Developer Mike Weich.

A lot of underground and ground level work is currently taking place at the wind farm site.  New turbine sites are being readied and old ones are coming down.

  Underground wiring from the original project, which is more

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than four-feet below the surface, is being left in place.  All other is being removed. More than 10 miles of underground cables link the turbines and send the electricity to a electric sub-station.  All of the components of the existing turbines have scrap value, with the exception of the fiberglass blades.  When the turbines are decommissioned crews separate out the components and recycle the pieces within the region with whatever services might be capable of handling the volume.  The fiberglass blades are transported to a recycler who is capable of reducing the fiberglass to pellet size, which can be used in new construction materials.

Approximately 10-acres at the corner of County Road B-43 and Dogwood Avenue has been transformed into a massive staging area for construction materials, vehicles and trailer offices.

In March, construction commenced, with civil design employees leading the way for road improvements, including making radius improvements at corners to accommodate the wide turns necessary for the turbine equipment.  Access roads are also being created to the new turbines and foundation excavating and construction is in progress.

Employment numbers vary, but Weich estimates 100 to 125 workers are at the site daily.

At this point foundation construction is primarily what is taking place.

“Eighty percent of turbine weight is in the foundation itself,” explained Weich. “The blades and turbines only account for 20 to 30 percent.

Foundation work should finish in early summer and will be followed by turbines starting to go up in late June and July.

The relatively mild winter kept the project on schedule, and perhaps even slightly ahead.  But the real threat to the July 2020 completion date for the new turbines to be brought online will arrive soon.  Ironically, the North Iowa winds which make this an attractive site for a wind farm, also present the biggest obstacle to completing the work on time.  The enormous blades simply can’t be installed in windy conditions.

“The greatest challenge for us is the wind itself.  We can’t compete with that.  Windy days can make things difficult,” said Weich.

He added that worker scheduling has been an important component of the project due to COVID-19 concerns.  Staggered work schedules have been devised to maximize work progress, while observing social distancing.

“Things are going as planned.  We are working with our crews to observe COVID-19 restrictions on the site and practice them in community.  We have screening and testing locations for people at the work site. There are increased waste disposal, hand washing and disinfection stations  No non-essential personnel are allowed and we are controlling access points,” said Weich.

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