Echo Wind Project

Echo is located in portions of Elkton, Chandler, and Oliver Townships in Michigan’s Huron County. Construction began in the fall of 2012 and the project is scheduled to be completed by the end of November 2013. Echo will be composed of 70 GE 1.6 MW turbines on nearly 16,000 acres. The completion of the project will add another 110 megawatts of renewable energy to DTE Energy’s portfolio.

Prior to the winter freeze, the team constructed 75% of the laydown yard and 22 access roads, and completed cement stabilization activities for 36 access roads.

Current Construction Activities at Echo (as of April 24, 2013):

Frost laws were lifted April 22 and construction activities have resumed at a vigorous pace. Heavy equipment is on the move and will be very visible to residents in the area.

1. Civil

• At the Echo Substation location, crews are stripping top soil and grading and leveling the substation foot print.
• Access Road construction is taking place on and around Crown Rd and working to the north.
• Foundation Excavation work has begun in Oliver Township with a goal of 2 sites excavated per day, moving along the crane path to the north.
• Intersection Improvements will begin in late April/early May.
• It should be noted that in preparation for the project, the County will be replacing or repairing culverts at various locations in and around the Echo Wind project footprint.

2. Concrete – Foundations

• Starting in Oliver Township with seal slabs.
• During the week of April 29, turbine foundation bases will start to be placed – approximately 40-50 trucks per site.
• Rebar deliveries are averaging 4 trucks per day.
• Rough Terrain Cranes will be moving from site to site for offload operations.

3. Underground Collection System

• Directional Boring has started in the south and is continuing to the north along circuit 5 shown on the overall project map.
• Cable Trenching is planned to start the first week of May, dependent on weather conditions.

4. Deliveries

• Trucks are delivering crane mats to the project sites.
• Transformers, electrical cable and other equipment are being delivered to the laydown yard.

Maps – Echo Wind Park

Echo Wind Park Project Map*: Shows turbine and access road locations.

Bore Locations*: Shows the collection lines that are buried beneath the ground where they collect the electricity from the turbines and deliver it back to the substation. This map also shows directional bore locations that are needed when collection lines cross drainage ditches and roads where the trencher can’t be utilized.  

Crane Walk*: Lays out the sequence and path the crawler cranes will be using to erect turbines.

Foundation Type*:  Identifies the location of the different types of foundations that are being used due to the fluctuating water table.

Turbine Delivery Route*: Shows the three different routes that our turbine vender (GE) will be using to bring components to turbine pad locations.  Huron County required multiple routes to reduce the impact of hundreds of loads on one road.

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