The Livingston County Zoning Board of Appeals Monday unanimously recommended approval of the Streator-Cayuga Ridge South Wind Project. The matter now will be considered by the County Board's Agriculture and Zoning Committee Wednesday and the full County Board during its monthly meeting Thursday, July 17.

The project would be one of three parts of a wind farm proposed for 46,000 acres stretching from east of Streator and south of Ransom down to about six miles north of Pontiac, west of Odell near Interstate 55. The overall project calls for as many as 450 wind-energy conversion turbines to be built in that area.

The south wind project involves 155 of those turbines, to be generally located in 15,000 acres between Odell and Emington. There will be separate public hearings and Zoning Board approvals sought for the other two parts of the project.

The project is proposed by Iberdrola Renewables, formerly known as PPM Energy.

Project developer Jesper Michaelsen previously estimated the entire wind farm would bring in as much as $4 million in property tax revenue during its first year of operation and $52 million to $70 million over the 25-year lifespan of the project.