By Bob Clark
The Evening Tribune
Thu Nov 12, 2009, 05:00 PM EST


While Howard town officials have not been contacted recently, the company planning a 25-turbine wind project is moving forward with development.
Kevin Sheen, head of business development for EverPower Renewables’ Howard project, said Wednesday the company is pushing for a springtime groundbreaking on the project.
“Given that the financial and power markets have started to recover, our goal is to break ground on the Howard Wind Project next year,” Sheen said. “We are currently working on the final details for construction including the transportation routing. We are hopeful that all will go according to plan and we will begin construction in May of next year.”
The Howard town planning board issued the company a conditional use permit, but several more agreements are needed before the company can finalize its project application with the town board, Sheen said.
“From a permitting point of view we need to complete the county road use agreement, the town road use agreement, the PILOT agreement with the county and the host community agreement with the Town of Howard,” he said in response to an email from the Tribune. “All of those are being worked on and should be resolved in the coming months.”
Along with permits, getting turbines to put on the site also is a challenge.
The project includes 25 turbines, each rated for 2.5 megawatts of power production in optimal wind conditions. Sheen said the company is looking to buy German-based Nordex turbines, but the final deal has not been set yet.
Nordex currently builts its model N90 turbines in Rostock, Germany, the company’s Web site states, but a new plant in Arkansas is under construction, scheduled for a mid-2010 opening.
The most-important step in the project is getting funds to pay for the construction.
“We are still researching the different options that would allow us to finance the project,” Sheen said via email. “Typically, these projects receive a construction loan that is converted into longer-term financing once the project becomes operational.”
Sheen added the company is working on a power purchase agreement, which would help finance the construction.
Also helping the firm will be its purchase by Terra Firma, a private equity firm, that is in the midst of a $350 million buyout of EverPower, according to the Reuters news service in August. Sheen said the firm will help near-term projects move ahead, including Howard.
EverPower also is developing a 65-80 MW wind project in Allegany, as well as projects in Oregon and Ohio. The company operates a 62.5 MW project with 25 Nordex N90 turbines in Cambria County, Pennsylvania.