Winnebago Tribal Council signs agreement for wind farm contractor

August 02, 2012 2:19 pm (Sioux City Journal)

 

WINNEBAGO, Neb. | The Winnebago Tribal Council has entered into an agreement with a company to build and operate a 10-megawatt wind farm in Thurston County.

The contract is with Bluestem Energy Solutions, of Omaha. The project is expected to include four to six turbine projects on tribal land five miles south of Emerson, Neb.

Groundbreaking is scheduled in 2013.

Winnebago Tribe officials have been planning the towers for several years. Tribe Chair John Blackhawk in a statement said, “The Tribe realized during its study of wind energy that it would need a significant partner with the resources to complete the multimillion dollar project.”

Bluestem also built towers for a Nebraska Public Power District project in Keya Paha County.

Company spokeswoman Nicole McDermott said they’re not disclosing the cost of the Winnebago contract. Construction will finish next year, she said.

The project will create enough energy to power 3,500 average-sized Nebraska homes, officials said.