CLINTON — Enel renewable operations manager Justin Trenary addressed the county board on August 22 to try to improve his company’s communications with local officials.
County board members have expressed frustration with Enel’s response to concerns related to how Enel’s local wind project operators deal with severe weather warnings.
In its agreement with the county, operators of Enel’s Alta Farms II are required to curtail wind turbines when the National Weather Service (NWS) issues tornado watches.
Curtailment, a slowing of the rotation or stopping the turbine blades from spinning, could prevent turbines from potentially interfering with Doppler radar used by the NWS.
County officials question whether this procedure took place during a storm in April.
Among board members’ other concerns was the performance bond offered by Enel to cover the cost of an eventual decommissioning of the Alta Farms II project. Some board members preferred a deposit in an escrow account. The board also has expressed concerns over the apparent malfunctioning of the wind facility’s aircraft detection lighting system.
“I’ll be the first to acknowledge the relationship between Enel and the county is strained,” Trenary said. “I feel the best way to repair that, and my intention is to repair that, is to do my very best to improve communication at the local level.”
• Read the complete story in the Friday, August 30 print edition of the Clinton Journal or now in the Journal E-Edition for subscribers.
