Lake Country Wind Energy Nears 25,000 Acres For Community Wind Project

Atwater, MN - February 17th, 2010.- Lake Country Wind Energy, LLC and National Wind announce that nearly 25,000 acres of land have been secured for the project. The acres leased in Meeker and Kandiyohi Counties represent over three-quarters of the land needed to develop the 340 megawatt (MW) community-owned wind farm. The project’s goal is to sign 30,000 acres.

With nearly 25,000 acres signed, Lake Country has made substantial progress since its formation in the summer of 2008. Field Specialist Jan Donahue was especially productive, signing over 13,000 acres in the past year. Currently just over 150 landowners are participating in the project.

“Lake Country has reached a number of important milestones over the past year,” Donahue says. “The amount of acres signed is the obvious highlight, but no less important is that we’ve now collected over a year’s worth of wind data from the footprint’s meteorological tower. With that data, our wind assessments team will be able to place our turbines in the most efficient way possible.”

Construction on the wind farm will take place over the course of 3-4 separate phases. The first of these phases is tentatively scheduled to go online in 2011. It is expected to deliver 40 MW of electricity to the grid and include 20, 2.05 megawatt REpower wind turbines. The project is continuing to reach out to landowners in the footprint, specifically in the townships of Acton, Swede Grove, Harrison, Gennessee, Green Lake, and Kandiyohi.

“Residents in the area have been very enthusiastic about Lake Country from the beginning,” adds Donahue. “We appreciate both the great reception we’ve received and the continued support from the community. It’s support like this that will bring Lake Country across the finish line.”

If you are interested in learning more about Lake Country Wind Energy, please contact Jan Donahue. You can reach Jan through our office, located in the Atwater Equipment Building, at 604 Pleasant Ave. West or by phone at 320-295-7570.

About Lake Country Wind Energy, LLC:
Lake Country Wind Energy, LLC is a community-owned wind energy company that plans to develop up to 340 megawatts (MW) of wind power generation facilities in Meeker and Kandiyohi Counties, Minnesota. The company’s financial commitment is to assure a portion of the project’s development proceeds are shared with its local investors, landowners, and the surrounding community. For more information, please visit www.lakecountrywindenergy.com.

About National Wind LLC:
National Wind is the leader in developing utility-scale community wind energy projects. We form powerful partnerships with local property owners, assuring that the project’s economic benefits are shared with the community. National Wind has participated in developing 13 wind energy projects and currently has over 4,000 megawatts (MW) in active development. National Wind projects are located in Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Colorado, Texas and Ohio. The company is exploring expansion opportunities in other states. Please visit www.nationalwind.com for more information.