COLES COUNTY, Ill. (WCIA) — Following a four-month dispute, a special use permit for a debated wind farm in Coles County is being recommended for approval.
Apex Clean Energy introduced the wind farm project over 14 hearings, some of which extended up to four hours. Some county residents opposed the project due to concerns about safety, the financial benefits not directly reaching local residents, among other issues.
However, the county’s Planning and Development Committee sided with the company, who said this project is a positive for the community.
“We are truly thankful to Coles County and the Planning Development Committee for conducting such a comprehensive and extended hearing process,” stated Ray Hoover, Public Engagement Manager for Apex Clean Energy. “Throughout this development, it has been crucial for us to engage with, listen to, and address the community’s concerns.”
Hoover also addressed some of those concerns. He pointed to the property tax the company would be paying, the jobs the project would create and that its 51 turbines would generate enough power to run 105,000 homes in the area.
Hoover said a date for the hearing to fully approve the project hasn’t been set yet, but he expects it to be held in the next two weeks.
