(Adair Co) The Adair County Board of Supervisors acknowledged receipt of a notice from MidAmerican Energy regarding a proposed project.
Officials from MidAmerican explained that they are going to put in a tower at the Arbor Hills wind farm that would shut the blinking red lights off at night and only come on if there is a helicopter or plane in the area.
They clarified that they are not expanding with any new wind turbines or solar.
However, MidAmerican announced this week that the company is proposing a natural gas-fired combustion turbine project in Adair County, called the Orient Energy Center, which would generate an additional 465 megawatts of power beginning in 2028.
MidAmerican Energy says the Orient Energy Center is expected to operate when load is at its peak and when customers need it the most, estimated at less than 10% of the year. The facility will provide more than 400 jobs during construction, approximately $7 million in property tax revenues over its service life and will bring up to five skilled craft jobs that pay between $100,000 to $125,000 annually to the community.
In other action, the Supervisors accepted the resignation of Ash Kading as Walnut Township Trustee and approved the appointment of Judy Wedemeyer as Walnut Township Trustee. The board approved an increase in the employee life insurance option, a longevity raise for Janelle Meisenheimer – Administrative Assistant for the Engineer’s Office, adjustments to the Attorney’s Office Employees’ benefits, and they tabled the IT Assessment Agreement.
