Alliant Energy is going to move forward with its proposed $730 million Columbia Wind Project in Columbia County. The project entails a large-scale wind farm just outside of Madison that the utility says will play a major role in meeting Wisconsin’s future energy needs, according to the press release from Alliant Energy.
The project, which would generate up to 277 megawatts of electricity, has drawn support from clean energy advocates while also raising concerns among some rural residents and farmers who worry about land use changes, construction impacts and the long-term presence of turbines in the landscape.
If approved, the Columbia Wind Project would become one of the largest wind farms in the state, according to University of Wisconsin professor of geotechnical engineering James Tinjum. The project represents a significant step in Wisconsin’s ongoing energy transition, he said…