Botetourt County officials are still waiting on the company behind the controversial wind farm in Eagle Rock to brief them on road improvements at the site.
During the January Board of Supervisors meeting, officials said the county continues to communicate with Charlottesville-based Apex Clean Energy via telephone about the repairs plans, which the company said would be submitted following geotechnical studies, which wrapped up the week of January 18.
Under the DEQ-approved plan, Rocky Forge Wind Farm will have 22 wind turbines standing approximately 680 feet tall and produce enough power to power 21,000 homes during peak capacity. Apex said it is reducing the number of turbines because of new technology.
The farm is slated to have turbines running evenly about every 3.5 miles in the southernmost portion of North Mountain. However, the company said in anVirginia Department of Environment Quality application, the project site might drop to about 120 acres, a 40 percent reduction than originally planned.
The project is not without its critics. Residents in the northern part of the county worry about the impact the wind farm will have on wildlife, land value and scenery. Others have expressed concerns about blade disposal and air traffic paths.
Those who favor the farm point to the 250 jobs it will create during the construction phase and then the seven full-time jobs when the site is operation. Local and state tax revenues over the next three decades could be between $20-$25 million, according to some estimates.
The facility already has a large customer lined up – Dominion Power. The facility will generate energy to Dominion Power, which has a contract to supply the Commonwealth of Virginia with renewable, clean energy.
The company has said site preparation could start this winter.
