MONROE — The effort to build the Lafayette County portion of a massive, $1 billion windfarm drew a standing-room-only crown to Fayette Town Hall for an informational meeting following the company signaling its attempt to start work in 90 days.

The eastern phase of Pattern Energy’s $1 billion Uplands Wind project is planned to generate 300 megawatts of energy from 51 wind turbines in central and southern Iowa County and northern Lafayette County, according to a new Pattern Energy map.

Pattern Energy said Uplands Wind will provide electricity for about 215,000 homes once all phases are online.

Uplands Wind is being designed as two 300 MW wind projects, and the largest of four proposed wind farms in Southwest Wisconsin. It will “provide safe, affordable, renewable electricity equivalent to the needs of approximately 215,000 homes,” the company says.

The company said it recently sent out 90-day notice to any landowners impacted by the project sites, which dot a map along the hills and valleys of part of the state’s driftless area. Construction is anticipated to begin soon, with commercial operation targeted for 2027.

“Look around this room and I’d say more than 90 percent of them is against it,” said one attendee, who farms for a living and didn’t expect such a big company to come way out to Lafayette County to build its turbines. “I also think they are ugly, the turbines. I mean, we don’t need them, we really don’t.”

The crowd included other farm producers and members of the Amish community. Company officials repeated their message of trying to be a good neighbor and responsive to the needs of the predominately rural community.

“The Uplands Wind map reflects months of work with participating landowners, local officials, and other stakeholders advance a project that meets the needs of the region,” said Pattern Energy’s Matt Dallas, in a statement. “We’re excited to continue working with communities in Iowa and Lafayette counties to advance a project that will help meet Wisconsin’s growing electricity demand while creating jobs, growing the local tax base, and investing directly in Wisconsin families and communities.”

“We’re here to address and answer as many of your questions as we can,” said Pattern Energy’s Michael Goff.

At the Thursday’s meeting the emphasis among the citizenry was on the fact that the company is not perceived to have provided answers to specific question about the site’s operation and construction — including the amount of concrete, for example, that will need to be poured into the ground and how deep; and what would become of the tall turbine polls, blades, and deep cement footings once the project is abandoned, presumably decades from now.

Company officials have said they are still working to determine which sized turbines to place in in which areas and remain committed to informing the township and its citizens at every step of the project. A man, a farmer, said it is important for the board to take a lead role in getting details to those impacted. 

“Michael Goff took questions, but only answered about half of them, carefully concealing important details and information he wished to keep from the public until his permits were submitted with the (Public Service Commission),” said one post from a member of the No Upland Wind Facebook site, in opposition to the project. “Apparently, those who will be affected by these turbines don’t deserve to know what is about to happen.

Attendees also questioned a company representative about Pattern Energy’s ownership. The company officials said that while there is some foreign investors heavily involved with Pattern Energy including Australian and Canadian nationals — the overall ownership is 100 percent US-based.