And then the wind farm developer gets up and says "If it wasn't for you guys and your group and your show of support, we wouldn't be here. End of story." Apparently they have never had an organized group of local supporters standing up to say "Yes! Let's give this a chance."
Wind farm developers looking to create two offshore wind farms off the cost of West Michigan outlined a plan that could radically transform coastal West Michgian's economy for the better, establish a permanent new industry, and create as many as 3000 jobs.
The wind farm developers gave three invitation-only presentations to lay out their expanded plans for coastal West Michigan
One to community business leaders
One to area represenatives
And one to a rag-tag group of wind farm supporters from Oceana county, Muskegon County, and Ottawa county -- holy frack I KNEW the stuff at Netroots Nation would come in handy some day.
The expanded wind farm project could create 3000 jobs. Three THOUSAND jobs for coastal West Michigan, currently with U6 unemployment in the 20% range.
To attract the first U.S. offshore wind turbine manufacturing plant, West Michigan would have to guarantee at least 1,000 megawatts of turbine production — about one year’s industrial output from such a plant, Dirdal said.
Such a manufacturer could create 3,000 permanent industrial jobs in the West Michigan economy as local parts suppliers would be in position to provide some of the 8,000 parts needed on a typical utility-sized wind turbine, he said.
-- Article
This is the holy grail of wind farm projects right here and could RADICALLY transform this depressed economic region for the better.
...and hopefully we can pull in folks in the Blue Green alliance some how to make sure the promises come to fruition. We need, need, need to hold the developers' feet to the fire to use this project to lure manufacturers to the city.
They're proposing a 500 MW offshore wind farm to the North of Muskegon in Oceana and Mason counties, and they're proposing a second 500MW offshore wind farm in northern Ottawa County and southern Muskegon County.
They're also proposing a 150 MW onshore wind farm in Muskegon's HUGE waste water treatment facility.
And sensing, from many not so subtle suggestions, that the best way to strike a deal is to bring in jobs, they are negotiating with manufacturers to locate in Muskegon to build the turbines that will be going in the offshore and onshore wind farms. With deepwater port access and an easy shipping route to the entire eastern seaboard, such a manufacturer would have convenient, low cost transport to other sites slated for offshore and onshore wind farm development.
Further sweetening the deal is some type of agreement to help the manufacturer use the Michigan Alternative and Renewable Energy Center as a facility to create test turbines, with space on the lake slated for testing new turbine designs.
The Scandia plan could mean major developments in Muskegon’s deep-water port along the southern shore of Muskegon Lake. Proposed sites include a potential manufacturing plant at the former Sappi Fine Paper mill property, an operations center on the Kirksey property at the end of West Western Avenue, underwater electrical cable connection from Lake Michigan to the Cobb power plant and a test turbine on the city’s Richards Park property at the east end of Muskegon Lake.
"If this project is a go, all of the harbors in West Michigan will be needed," Dirdal said of the construction phase that would not begin until after 2015 and a lengthy time for permit approvals. Wind turbine operations would not begin for nearly 10 years.
The built-in local market for the turbines would come from Scandia’s revamped Aegir Wind Farm project for West Michigan. What started as a 1,000-megawatt wind farm in 100 square miles in Lake Michigan at the Mason-Oceana County line has evolved into a proposal for two separate offshore wind farms of 500 megawatts each.
I gotta say...this is a dream come true.
We need to hold their feet to the fire to make sure these promises come to fruition even if only partially. But the thought of a coastal West Michgian where people could LIVE and make a LIVING and thrive sends goosbumps down my arms. This is not the type of opportunity that comes along very often and my pals and I intend to drag those jobs, kicking and screaming, into this area no matter what.
Please help us out...we've come this far, we have much further to go...even five bucks will help us get there.
Thanks to everybody for their support in the past, present, and future.