What is the schedule?
Typically, construction lasts 12 to 18 months, and mobilization will start in February. Here is a basic breakdown of the Lotus construction timeline incorporating each project component. Weather may have an impact on this timeline, but the construction team will work to keep on schedule.
What does topsoil reclaim mean?
The contractors that build projects work to ensure that topsoil is preserved during foundation excavation so that it may be restored to the soil surface when foundation construction is complete. The subgrade soil is compacted over the wind turbine foundation, and the topsoil is reapplied to grade the area at the surface.
Will road construction impact planting?
We will be improving roads during planting, and it will extend through summer and into the fall. We have weekly meetings with county engineers and will do our best to be active in times that will least impact planting. We will work with landowners to coordinate that work to minimize disruption. If you have concerns, please reach out to our team and we will coordinate this work with you.
What kind of notifications will you provide when things are happening?
We plan on sending out postcards and making monthly updates to the website, but hope to notify residents directly if we plan to be on their property or are working on roads near their property. We have already been in communication with school districts to coordinate bus traffic during construction. We encourage those with questions to reach out to us via phone or email or visit the project office.
What will the ground look like when you’re done?
Our plan is to leave things better than we found them. Roads will be improved, access roads will be clean, and ground will be decompacted to allow farming to return to normal operations.
What kind of traffic disruptions will there be? What will road traffic be like?
We will work to minimize traffic disruptions and road closures. We will endeavor to reach out to all impacted parties in advance of road work and plan for anticipated difficulties by working around high traffic times and pickup or drop-off times for school buses.
Is there an office onsite?
There is an office onsite, and residents are welcome to come visit us. We are eager to answer questions and alleviate any concerns during the construction process.
What is going to happen to my drain tile?
If drain tile is damaged during construction, the tile will be repaired as construction proceeds. Most tiles will be repaired immediately, as we plan to have a trailing crew following the trench crew during the collection line process. We commit to ensuring that all repairs are complete by the time construction concludes. The work to repair any damaged tile will be done by an experienced drain tile installer and paid for by the project.
If a tile break is missed and crop damage results, a crop damage provision in the lease will ensure that the landowner is compensated for the losses. Apex has a lifetime warranty and will be responsible for it for the life of the process, so if you experience flooding in 20 years and we know that area was where we trenched or traversed with cranes and mats, we will still repair the tile and compensate for the crop loss.
Are the red lights going to be blinking?
As each tower is energized, blinking lights will go on at night as a safety feature for aircraft in the area. After the last towers are erected and the blades installed, the Aircraft Detection Lighting System (ADLS) will be tested and moved into operational status.
Apex is investing in ADLS on all of our projects, including Lotus Wind. It allows the safety of the lights in the turbine fields to serve their purpose while minimizing nuisance for our neighbors. It will do this by connecting a centralized radar tower to every turbine to communicate with aircraft in the area to warn the entire field to blink only when planes are in the area rather than constantly blinking at night.
So while completed towers will have lights start blinking to protect aircraft until the system is ready, the lights will be off up to 98% of the time after the system is operational.
What damage is done to the soil during and after construction?
No lasting damage is done to soil from the construction of a wind project. Although the construction process can cause the soil to become compacted in certain areas, great care is taken to decompact those areas when construction is complete and to restore the land for agricultural use.
Is dust going to be mitigated during construction project?
Yes. Construction teams will work to minimize dust production during construction using common dust suppression methods, which may include watering roads or applying dust control treatments.
What responsibility does a wind farm have for maintaining county roads over the life of the project?
During construction, a wind energy project will maintain and repair all roads being used for project access. Once construction is completed, the responsibility for maintaining public roads will generally be returned to the county. Lotus negotiated a Road Use Agreement with Macoupin County, which explicitly memorialized how road upgrades, repairs, and maintenance will be managed during construction and over the life of the project. Road maps are available on the website.
Does a laydown yard get covered in gravel? If so, does it all get removed when you are finished?
Yes, laydown yards are covered with gravel. The gravel is removed after construction, and all the gravel used for the laydown yard will be salvaged after its use and applied throughout the project to top roads, especially in areas that need additional stone or dressing. The laydown yard is then decompacted and restored to its previous use once the stone is removed.
Can I watch the construction on my property?
The construction team understands the importance of being good stewards of your land, and is happy to have you observe projects as they are happening. However, safety during construction is our number one priority, and we strongly request you call the office and coordinate with the construction team.