A Germany-based energy company is looking to harness the power of wind in Gibson County, but it needs the help of land owners in the county in order to make it a viable option.
E.ON wants to build between 50 to 80 wind turbines across 15,000 acres of land in Gibson and Posey Counties. The company says they only have about 10,000 acres secured.
Company representative Karson Rumpf said they still have two more years worth of studying wind speeds, but that so far the wind speeds appear to be there to make wind turbines an option. He said after a public forum with land owners last night that the investment makes sense.
“Coal generation plants are getting older, it’s costing more to upgrade them and keep them running,” he said. “Wind energy has decreased by roughly 66-percent the last 5 years. Better turbines, better technology.”
He said land owners would be paid by E.ON for the use of their land for wind turbines, but how much they get is dependent on how many turbines the company will be allowed to put on their land.
If the project meets its goals the wind turbines could power up to 70,000 homes in that portion of southern Indiana and even homes in Illinois and Kentucky.
