The Jayhawk Wind farm facility breaks ground this week and is expected to be operational later this year, according to a press release from Apex Clean Energy, the developer.
The project will consist of 70 General Electric wind turbines totaling an installed capacity of more than 190 MegaWatts. The project will provide more than 115 construction jobs and seven long-term operations positions—and will generate over $20 million in landowner payments and $27.2 million in tax revenue, according to the press release.
The following is an email interview with Patrick Chilton, Apex Public Engagement Manager.
Apex sold to WEC yet you will be doing the construction and operating of the windmills?
“Apex Clean Energy has not been sold to WEC Energy Group. Jayhawk Wind, the wind project developed by Apex in Bourbon and Crawford Counties, has been sold to WEC Energy Group and Invenergy.
“The power produced by the project will be injected into the Southwest Power Pool grid, the electric grid network that serves Bourbon and Crawford Counties.
To learn more about the Southwest Power Pool: https://spp.org/
“Facebook signed a contract to purchase the power from Jayhawk Wind after the previous power purchase agreement (PPA) was mutually dissolved. The tech company will buy that power to help support its operations in the region.”
Facebook is a valued Apex customer, according to a Bloomberg Business press release about the transaction:
Apex sold to WEC but will still construct and operate the farm?
“Apex Clean Energy will manage the construction of Jayhawk Wind on behalf of its new owners, and IEA Constructors will perform all of the engineering, procurement, and construction needs of the project.
“Under this contract, IEA will be responsible for working to hire subcontractors, vendors, and local personnel. Upon completion of construction, Invenergy will take over operations.
“IEA Constructors is a subsidiary of IEA that manages utility-scale renewable energy and heavy civil infrastructure projects. They will perform all of the engineering, procurement, and construction needs of the project,” according to Chilton.
A question was asked if Apex was planning on selling Jayhawk Wind from the beginning?
“Yes. Our plans to work with a financing counterparty on Jayhawk Wind have been a part of our discussions with the community since the beginning of this project. Apex is honored to help design and permit excellent projects like this one for companies that want to support and own renewable energy facilities. We believe WEC and Invenergy will be wonderful long-term partners for this community.”
You will be hiring locals, so where is the info if someone is interested in seeking a job with Jayhawk Wind.
“Jayhawk Wind has been running a local vendor program, which is ongoing.
“More information about this program is available at https://www.jayhawkwind.com/local_vendor_program.
“Through this program, local contractors and vendors have been signing up to let us know they are interested in supporting the construction of Jayhawk Wind.
“As promised, we have been preparing to share this information with the Balance of Plant contractor. We have continued to aggregate a locate vendor list throughout development and vendors are welcome to continue to submit their information on our website for consideration.
The Balance of Plant (BoP) is a power engineering term that refers to the various supporting and auxiliary components of a power plant system required to produce energy, according to https://ifsolutions.com/what-is-balance-of-plant-in-power-plants/
“Now that IEA has been selected as the Balance of Plant contractor, we will be sharing our local vendor directory with them directly.”