Submitted by Stephanie Bond, Director Land & Community at Cordelio Power
We are still working hard to advance the NEMO Wind project and bring a significant investment to Knox County.
You may have noticed the work already performed in preparation of connecting the project to Ameren’s high voltage grid. A portion of property adjacent to their 345 kV line along the east side of State Highway A was graded this spring. It was then conveyed to Ameren in June to allow them to install the necessary interconnection facility over the next year or more.
The project’s turbine array is nearly finalized, and consulting engineers have been working to assess the current condition of county and state roadways that will need to be travelled to construct and operate the facility. We’ve been working with MODOT to finalize a road use agreement and have already executed a road use agreement with the Knox County Commission. It is understood that Cordelio will be responsible for upgrading roadways to handle the truck traffic prior to beginning construction and repairing them after it is completed.
Several environmental, property, cultural and geotechnical surveys have been performed over the last few years to inform the final project layout and prepare for necessary permit applications. Discussions with the US Fish and Wildlife Service are ongoing as we pursue an Incidental Take Permit for threatened and endangered wildlife within the project footprint. Other necessary permit applications are being assembled.
An Engineering, Procurement and Construction firm should be retained in early 2025 and the project’s design will be finalized shortly thereafter. Construction on the project is expected to commence by early next summer. The first activities to begin will be public road improvements, installation of access roads to serve turbine sites and the construction of turbine foundations. Construction will continue as late into 2025 as possible before being suspended for the winter. Work will resume in the late spring of 2026 and should be completed by the end of the year so the project can be fully energized and placed in service.
We are very excited to finalize the development phase of the project and move forward into full construction. A facility of this size will bring a significant investment into the region and the economic benefits it will bring cannot be understated.
