LOTUS WIND PROJECT PROFILE

Apex Clean Energy is exploring the feasibility of constructing Lotus Wind, a wind energy project expected to generate up to 200 megawatts of clean, homegrown energy. Local wind data confirms that the area under consideration is ideal for a project of this size, which will produce enough safe, pollution free energy to power up to 77,500 U.S. homes. Apex is working with local landowners, community leaders, and various stakeholders on the project and welcomes input into the planning process. Located in Macoupin County, the project site has these key attributes:

• Verified wind resource
• Expansive private land
• Proximity to existing transmission lines

PROJECT SUMMARY and Economic Benefits

• Planned to be located on open farmland in rural Macoupin County
• Capable of producing up to 200 MW of clean, homegrown energy, enough to power 77,500 U.S. homes each year
• Expected to consist of up to 52 wind turbines, spaced approximately 1/4 to 1/2 mile apart on active farmland 
• Each wind turbine, including the access road, typically requires less than half an acre of land
• Farmers would continue farming their land with very limited disturbance
• Tens of millions of dollars to be paid out locally during the life of the project for the county, local landowners,
  local schools, and other entities
• Hundreds of jobs and significant local spending during construction
• Approximately 9 long-term, full-time jobs at a local operations and maintenance facility
• Roughly $57 million in new property tax revenues over the life of the project

WIND ENERGY FOR RURAL AMERICA

The cost of wind energy has dropped more than 50% over the past five years, providing a cost-competitive source for clean electricity across the nation. Wind powers the equivalent of 25 million American homes each year.* Wind energy comes with many benefits, including reduced pollution, increased domestic employment, consumer cost savings, water conservation, nationwide availability, and increased community revenues.** Wind turbines compliment working farms, because they allow for existing agricultural operations to continue around them. They also help farmers by diversifying the rural economy and providing a consistent, drought-resistant new harvest.

*AWEA, Wind Energy Facts at a Glance, 2019

**Department of Energy, Wind Vision: A New Era for Wind Power in the United States, 2015