When, how, by whom, and with what money do wind turbines get decommissioned?

Though Vermillion County’s Wind Ordinance is not yet final, we expect that any ordinance the county passes will require the developer to submit a full decommissioning plan for county approval. Decommissioning plans specify how and when bonds will be placed to ensure funds are available to decommission a project when the time comes to do so. All decommissioning plans are designed to ensure that local taxpayers are not ultimately responsible for paying the costs associated with removing a wind farm’s components at the end of its useful life. We currently expect a modern wind farm to operate for at least 30 years, though it is possible the project’s life could be extended through a process called “repowering” at a future date.