Construction on Scout Clean Energy’s controversial Nimbus Project in Carroll County is well underway, with the delivery of components for the project’s 30 wind turbines continuing and the first of the turbines being erected.
The Carroll County News visited the project site on Aug. 20, touring the site with Scout officials including Dave Iadarola, Scout’s project manager for Nimbus.
Iadarola and other Scout officials stressed their commitment to safety. A reporter visiting the site was required to wear personal protective equipment and complete a safety briefing. Iadarola also said he understood the frustration of some local residents who have complained about traffic delays created by oversized loads delivering turbine components.
Iadarola said deliveries should be completed around the middle of October.
“Our biggest thing is safety,” Iadarola said. “We’re at the height of construction. I understand that it’s an inconvenience. As we’ve said before, it’s temporary, but it is impactful. And we ask for people’s patience as we make it as safe as possible and try to do it in a manner that is least impactful to folks.”
Scout, based in Boulder, Colo., plans for its “Nimbus Project” to expand over approximately 9,000 acres — about 14 square miles — in Carroll County, much of it along County Road 905 south of Green Forest. The project will include 30 wind turbines — four of them 591 feet tall and the other 26 644 feet tall. The turbines are being placed on private property, the owners of which have signed lease agreements with Scout.
The planned project has drawn vigorous opposition from opponents who say it will be harmful to wildlife, have adverse health effects and pose a potential safety risk for humans and cause significant damage to county roads, along with disturbing the natural beauty of the area and having a negative effect on tourism. Opponents of the project also say Scout’s ownership can be traced to Chinese interests.
Carroll County Judge David Writer signed a road use and maintenance agreement with Scout that requirse the company to pay for road maintenance and repair expenses related to the project. That agreement is being challenged by a group of a landowners in a pending lawsuit in Carroll County Circuit Court.
Several proposed measures aimed at regulating the project failed to gain approval from the Carroll County Quorum Court, which ultimately approved a moratorium on future industrial wind and solar energy projects while stipulating that the moratorium would not apply to the Nimbus Project.
Landowners who have signed leases with Scout and other supporters of the project say landowners should be free to do as they please on their own property.
Iadarola said Scout is committed to supporting those landowners and said there will be economic benefits in Green Forest and elsewhere in the county.
“We’re supporting our landowners and we’re going to be a part of the community,” he said. “Not only are we coming in with benefits to our landowners, but Green Forest will see a bump in tax revenue. Other surrounding communities will see it from people staying here for construction. There’s also people who are going to be moving here or hired here that are going to be integral to the project itself. We’ll be in the community.”
Iadarola said all 30 of the project’s turbines will be in place by Christmas, with operations expected to begin in early spring 2026. He confirmed that Scout does have a buyer for the electricity that will be generated by the project but said he could not identify the buyer.
