Latest Updates

AUGUST 2006 - Greenlight Energy was purchased by BP Alternative Energy in August, and company officials distributed the following letter to landowners in our project to explain the sale and assure all of us that the move could be very positive for our project.

Dear Landowners:

I am writing to let you know of an exiting change here at Greenlight. We are pleased to announce that Greenlight Energy has been acquired by BP Alternative Energy North America, Inc., a subsidiary of BP - one of the world's leading energy companies.

BP Alternative Energy was formed in November 2005 to consolidate all of BP's existing renewable generation business unites such as Wind, Solar, Hydrogen Power and Gas Fired Power Generation, into one organization. As a world leader in renewable and alternative energy, BP recognized the importance of wind energy and has set a goal to become one of the leading wind energy developers worldwide by 2015.

Although the announcement of the acquisition may come as a surprise, Greenlight Energy sought out a strategic acquisition partner that can facilitate the development of our projects due to rapidly changing market conditions. BP Alternative Energy provides substantial resources to the team such as access to supply of wind turbines, financial resources and enhanced commercial and project management skills. Following the acquisition, Greenlight will become a wholly owned subsidiary of BP.

Please be assured that our lease agreement with you in the Wishek project area will remain fully intact. Landowners continue to be the foundation of Greenlight and BP's wind project development activities and we thank you for your continuing support.

If you have any questions, please feel free to call me at 919-777-6710.

Best Regards,

Matthew S. Sakurada Business Developer
Greenlight Energy

November 2005 - Website updated to reflect latest data.

January 2005 - The MCWEC requested that Sen. Robert Erbele, R-Dist. 28, introduce a bill to the 2005 Legislature that would help make it feasible for seven southcentral North Dakota school districts to own and operate a wind turbine. Proceeds from the turbine would help repay the debt to construct it, then provide a revenue stream for each school that would effectively offset the annual electricity costs for each school. The money saved could be put back into the schools' general fund for use elsewhere in the district. SB2238 gained good support from several renewable energy organizations during the hearing process in late January, however when the full Senate voted on it in mid-February, it was defeated.
The MCWEC intends to review the bill and attempt to address concerns of opponents. This was viewed as an excellent way to help rural schools save money and reinvest it in the education of our youth.

Spring 2004 - The MCWEC signed a development agreement with Virginia-based Greenlight Energy in late 2003 to develop a wind farm in McIntosh County. Greenlight identified the area in southwest McIntosh County it hopes to develop. The MCWEC serves as the local contact for landowners and Greenlight. A series of informational meetings for landowners in the project area were conducted in early 2004, and lease option agreements were distributed to 45 landowners in the Spring of 2004. To date, approximately 32 landowners have signed the lease options and have received their first lease payment from Greenlight.
The agreement the MCWEC signed with Greenlight allows the company up to five years to develop the farm. Greenlight officials are seeking a buyer for the power and doing much "behind the scenes" work.
In late fall of 2004, Greenlight announced that it successfully developed its first commercial wind farm in Kansas, and has several other projects in various stages of development across the U.S., including a second farm in Griggs and Steele counties in eastern North Dakota.

October 2003 - The first two commercial wind farms in N.D. came online in October near Kulm, just 30 miles east of Wishek. FPL Energy, a subsidiary of Florida Power and Light, constructed a 27-turbine farm in conjunction with Basin Electric, and a second 14-turbine farm in cooperation with Otter Tail Power Co. The $65 million project injected many dollars into the local economy during the construction phase, and resulted in six fulltime positions once built. It will create over $280,000 in annual property tax revenue for LaMoure County, the largest share of which will benefit the Kulm School District. About a dozen landowners will also receive annual payments for allowing the turbines to be place on their land.
    The farm is truly a majestic site with its massive turbine blades spinning in the breeze. The turbines stand over 300' tall when the blades are vertical and can be seen for miles.

August 2003 - The MCWEC, LLC met with Sandy Reisky, CEO of GreenLight Energy, a Virginia-based wind development company, who was touring the state in search of potential sites for a wind farm project. There seemed to be strong interest in our area, and Mr. Reisky was given copies of the wind data the MCWEC has collected. GreenLight has been working with the N.D. Dept. of Commerce, and the DOC has helped us keep the lines of communication open with the company. We intend to continue talking with GreenLight representatives as they pursue a project.
Congress adjourned for the holidays without passing a new Energy Bill. Included in the bill are incentives for all types of energy development, including renewable sources such as wind, solar, biofuels and biomass. Reports indicated that more traditional energy sources such as coal, oil and natural gas, will be the recipients of billions of dollars in incentives if the bill passes in its current form. Congress must also vote on extending the Production Tax Credit (PTC) past the 2005 mark. PTC's are critical components that help offset the costs of wind farm installations. And, of course, the transmission issues continue to be examined. Currently, there is limited room on the transmission grid to get large amounts of wind-generated electricity out of North Dakota to markets where it can be sold such as Minneapolis or Chicago. Until that is resolved, it is unlikely North Dakota will experience the type of wind development the state is capable of.

June 2003 - The McIntosh County Wind Energy Committee met with our engineer, Jay Haley, to discuss our exploring a wind farm option similar to what is happening in southwestern Minnesota where a group of landowners has formed a company and will own part of the wind farm there. Our group expressed interest in looking at this as an opportunity for us. The MCWEC has also had significant contacts by two wind development companies in July and August. The board has shared our wind data with these companies as they search for locations for potential projects. All meetings were positive and reinforce the belief we have that our wind resource is among the best North Dakota has to offer. In June 2003, the MCWEC passed the two-year mark of wind data collection. Generally, developers like to see two years worth of data, and the MCWEC is among just a handful of community wind groups to have that much data gathered.
Congress continues the energy bill debate in Washington, D.C. It is critical that the Production Tax Credit (PTC), which will expire at the end of 2003, is extended. This is a key element to wind energy development across the country. There has been a flurry of wind farm projects begun in Minnesota, Texas, Kansas and South Dakota, all of which are anticipated to be online before the end of 2003 so they qualify for the PTC. On the state level, officials are hoping to push government to pass legislation calling for a 10% renewable energy requirement by 2020. This means that state buildings must buy at least 10% of their power from renewable sources such as wind or solar by the year 2020.
We continue to watch for wind development opportunities and make contacts with key people in the industry who we believe can help us bring a project here. The MCWEC has been progressive and aggressive in making sure wind developers know where we are and what we have to offer, and we feel confident we will be successful in bring wind energy to McIntosh County. When? That we don't know, but with your continued support and patience, it will happen for us! Where? That we don't know either. Everyone would love a turbine or 2 on their land, however it will be up to the development company where turbines are sited. But even if you are not fortunate enough to have turbines placed on your land, the financial windfall to our schools and communities will be a great benefit to our county.

March 2003 - Florida Power and Light (FPL Energy) and Basin Electric announced the installation of the state's first two commercial wind farms east of Kulm. Working with the Edgeley-Kulm-Ellendale wind group, the company will install 27 1.5 MW turbines and have them online by fall. Construction began in June, and turbine towers were standing by mid-August. Additionally, FPL and OtterTail Power Co. announced another 14 turbines will be constructed as a separate project, but will be built right next to the Kulm site. Global Winds Harvest announced a 21 MW project will be built in southwestern Dickey County by the end of 2003. There have been few developments made public over the summer, so we are unclear of its status as of August 2003.

January 2003 - The McIntosh County Wind Energy Committee joins with the Coteau Hills Wind Energy committee to pursue a concept whereby local school districts are able to own and operate turbines. This has been successful in Iowa where nearly a dozen schools are doing this. North Dakota law doesn't allow this, so a bill was drafted requesting necessary laws be changed to permit it. The MCWEC, Sen. Robert Erbele of Lehr and members of the Coteau group testified before a Senate committee. The bill passed the Senate, however was defeated in the House. The two groups obtained a $10,000 grant from the Division of Community Services for a feasibility study. The data gathered by the study will hopefully show why this would be a good thing for local school districts. Plans are to re-group and face the Legislature in 2005.