North Iowa Reporter

The redevelopment of the Cerro Gordo Wind Farm is almost complete as construction crews have been working on it since earlier this year. 

The Cerro Gordo Wind Farm, which brings clean energy to area homes and businesses, was first developed in 1999, KIMT 3 News reported. The redevelopment will replace 55 turbines and add 15 new units. 

"We could've re-powered the current platforms there, but we didn't have anybody that could've supplied parts for them. It was economic for us to take all of the machines down and replace them with a much, much larger modern controllable machine with a company like GE that will be in business for years and years," Construction Manager Jim Barrett told KIMT 3 News.

The new turbines will have a larger capacity, which will benefit the area, John Robbins, Cerro Gordo County Planning & Zoning administrator, said. 

"The older turbines have a shorter life span, these new ones are 40-50 years, potentially. I think they typically put a 30-year lifespan on them, but they typically last longer. Better design, more robust, that kind of thing," he told KIMT 3 News.