EMERSON CREEK WIND PROJECT PROFILE
Apex Clean Energy is actively developing Emerson Creek Wind, and we will be meeting with landowners, community leaders, and the public to share information about the project. We are excited to be a part of your community. We expect the project will begin construction in 2024.
PROJECT SUMMARY
- Planned to be located on open farmland in rural Erie and Huron Counties
- Capable of producing up to 300 MW of clean, homegrown energy, enough to power 87,850 U.S. homes each year
- Turbines will be spaced approximately 1/4 to 1/2 mile apart on active farmland
- Each wind turbine, including the access road, typically requires less than half an acre of land
- Existing high-voltage power lines and highways would limit the need for new infrastructure
- Farmers would continue farming their land with very limited disturbance
- Will represent a significant investment in the local economy, with revenues for farmers, local government, and schools
- Will create hundreds of full-time-equivalent jobs during construction
- Will create up to 12 permanent jobs at a local operations and maintenance facility
WHY ERIE AND HURON COUNTIES?
If built, Emerson Creek Wind will have a capacity of up to 300 MW. Representing a private investment of about $615 million, Emerson Creek will benefit the economies of Erie and Huron Counties in the near term with construction jobs and local purchasing of materials and services. In the long term, the project promises to bring sustained tax revenue to these counties for the local government and schools, as well as 30 years of local purchasing, employment, and investment.
Rural Erie and Huron Counties were selected by Apex Clean Energy after a thorough examination of many candidate sites within Ohio for the following reasons:
- Verified wind resource
- Existing high-voltage power lines
- Expansive commercial farmland
- Existing network of state highways
- Avoids sensitive environmental areas
- Strong local landowner and community support
Farmers who host turbines on their property and other participating landowners will also receive annual lease payments. These payments will continue over the projected 30-year lifespan of the wind farm, injecting millions of dollars into the economies of Erie and Huron Counties to support local merchants, contractors, and equipment suppliers.
WIND ENERGY FOR RURAL AMERICA
The cost of wind energy has dropped more than 70% since 2009, providing a cost-competitive source for clean electricity across the nation. Wind powers the equivalent of 40 million American homes each year. Wind energy comes with many benefits, including reduced pollution, increased domestic employment, consumer cost savings, water conservation, nationwide availability, and increased community revenues. Wind turbines complement working farms and rural land, because they allow for existing agricultural or recreational operations to continue around them. They also help rural economic development by diversifying the local economy and providing a consistent stream of recurring revenue.
POTENTIAL TIMELINE
The Emerson Creek Wind project filed an application with the Ohio Power Siting Board in 2019 and received initial approval of that application in 2021. The project is expected to conclude the permitting process in 2024. Construction is expected to commence in mid 2025, and commercial operations of the project will begin in 2026. For more information on the permitting process and ways to voice your support, visit the project docket page on the Ohio Power Siting Board's website. Between now and the conclusion of construction, Apex will be working closely with Huron and Erie Counties on details of the project and offering opportunities for the public to provide input into the process.