By PHYLLIS ZORN

Staff writer

The formal opening of Orsted’s Sunflower Wind farm will be marked with a ribbon cutting Thursday.

The 200 megawatt wind farm is one of 13 Orsted wind farms in the United States.

Sunflower will produce enough electricity to power more than 70,000 homes.

Local landowners, community members, and stakeholders will be at the event to celebrate the project’s completion and economic benefits it will bring to the community and state.

Sunflower Wind is projected to inject tens of millions of dollars in local tax revenue over its expected 30-year lifespan.

Construction cost more than $13 million in equipment and materials purchased from local businesses, Orsted says.

Orsted for the Americas chief executive David Hardy, county commissioners, representatives from the Nature Conservancy Kansas, and the Conservation Fund will speak at the ceremony.

Planning began in 2018 when National Renewable Solutions, based in Minnesota, bought rights to develop a portion of a wind farm that earlier had stalled.

Operating under the name Expedition Wind, it signed lease agreements with landowners in the area.

The plan drew criticism from some county residents, including threats, several lawsuits, and an incident in which an opponent shot toward the direction of surveyors.

The wind farm was sold to Danish company Orsted in June, 2021.

Ground was broken in July 2022.

The ribbon cutting will be from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at 1873 110th St., west of Remington Rd.