Today in court the lawyer for Nedpower stated that the Mt Storm project was a model wind power project that would be used as a yard stick over the next 50 years for how to run a successful wind turbine project that contributes to energy independence. He also stated that the project was now worth $500M (up from the originally projected $180M costs).
Oddly enough he also stated that Nedpower has no employees and no cash reserves or assets except the certificate of approval from the West Virginia PSC. In essence Nedpower is a shell company, but somehow it manages to pay the lawyer and his firm to represent them, and run the entire Mt Storm Industrial Wind operation. Magic?!?
So enquiring minds wonder just what a Model Wind Turbine project is, and how the three companies involved - Nedpower, Shell WindEnergy, and Dominion Power could make such a claim? Especially as they have not yet published any figures on the electricity that may have generated to date, nor any revenue they may have received, nor annual power generation estimates based on established wind pattern data from the telemetry on each of their installed turbines. Originally the project was stated to provide electricity for 70,000 homes annually. At the cost of $500M sounds like a bargain!?!
So considering what Nedpower, Shell WindEnergy and Dominion Power have actually done to date it would appear that the following are what makes up a Model Wind Turbine project based on their actions.
Model Wind Project with 50 year operational plan
- Setup Corporate shell company with no funds, run by proxy by lawyers to head project.
- Only asset is a certificate of approval for project from PSC and leases gained from local land owners with pay offs; all so the shell company cannot be sued.
- Take $300M in tax payer electricity generation credits and avoid having to post any public liability bonds. Avoid being labelled as a public utility company.
- Take $158M in foreign investment and debit burden of $9M annually with a South American banking cartel.
- Purchase turbines from a partner company in Spain and ship them across the Atlantic
- Use out of State cheap contract labor for most of construction. Avoid union labor.
- Wreck local access roads and do not fully reimburse State DOT for necessary rebuilding of the road.
- Sneak project past local regulations and restrictions by avoiding undue public notices or assess during planning permission process. Hire fake expert witnesses to testify on minimal wildlife impacts and huge wind generation capacity.
- Promise major benefits to local county in tax and jobs. Buy off local schools and community leaders with paltry donations.
- Locate turbines whereever you please in complete disregard to sensibilities of local residents, view shed and overall public nuisance.
There we have it Top 10 ways to run a model wind turbine project, set by NedPower, Shell Wind Energy and Dominion Power.
Seeing the project is such a model of success, perhaps the citizens of Grant County should consider leveeing a substantial new tax on the project to offset the lost revenues from home building and other scenic tourism revenues that they are now losing because of the success of the wind turbine project?
Related links:
Continued road damage and construction:
http://windpower.fotopic.net/Environmental impacts:
http://www.windaction.org/?module=uploads&func=download&fileId=1723
