By Rae Yost, Mason City Globe Gazette

FOREST CITY — EDF is reviewing a site in northern Winnebago County as a possible location for a 200-megawatt wind farm.

EDF is the largest North American provider of third-party renewable operations and maintenance services with more than eight gigawatts of energy under contract.

The company, whose oversight operations are based in San Diego, California, has projects in Cerro Gordo County and several other Iowa sites.

Winnebago County is being considered because it has an excellent wind resource, company official Chris Sternhagen said during a recent county Board of Supervisors meeting.

The site also has access to available transmission capacity and is near a diverse customer base, so EDF is assured there is a market for the wind energy, Sternhagen said, but the company needs to make an arrangement to sell power before construction.

Several other factors influence consideration of the county, including access to wind turbine manufacturers, terrain and regional support.

One of the most important is the support of landowners, Sternhagen said.

“If we’re not welcome in a community we’re not gonna force the issue,” he said, adding the company would consider other areas for a project.

Several farmers were in attendance, some of whom previously recommended the county adopt a “good neighbor” policy for wind turbine projects.

The recommended policy would from houses and other property and repairing drainage tile damage.

Sternhagen said such concerns are common. EDF studies areas of concern that include environment, habitat, drainage, wetlands, noise and shadow, roads and others, he said.

The company has setback requirements, including that a tower must be 1,500 feet from a residence and 470 feet from a road.

Raymond Smith, a landowner in the possible project area, said he wants to make sure drainage systems are not negatively impacted when heavy cranes travel across fields.

“We will work it out to put together a route that everybody can agree on,” Sternhagen said. “It is difficult for us to not to try and take the most direct route.”

There will be requirements to have any damaged tile repaired, Sternhagen said. If EDF sells the project, the new owner would have those same requirements, he said.

Gene Bruss asked why EDF can’t build more turbines in the Dakotas, which is much less populated and doesn’t have prime farm land.

EDF does have projects in the Dakotas but likes this area because of the wind, available transmission capacity, nearby customers and other factors, Sternhagen said.