Beardstown, IL – A Maryland firm is leasing land in Cass County for a possible wind farm.
Cass County economic developer Steve Twaddle says Cooperative Power Ventures has already leased "several thousand" acres and could lease up to 20,000 acres for wind turbine use.
He says the firm has indicated the land could hold up to 140 turbines. He says they want to begin construction by 2010.
Twaddle says a meteorological study by the Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs indicated fairly reliable wind speeds between 14 and 18 miles per hour or more.
He says around 12 miles per hour is considered the threshold for profitable power generation.