ENGIE: Empire Prairie could bring up to 21 turbines to northwest DeKalb County

ENGIE described the project as a way to help power “homes, schools, hospitals, manufacturers, businesses, and other consumers across Northwest Missouri,” while also citing rising electricity demand and the importance of domestic energy production.

For context, ENGIE said one megawatt of electricity can power between 650 and 1,000 homes, depending on energy efficiency and location. Using that range, the 400-megawatt wind project alone could represent enough electricity for approximately 260,000 to 400,000 homes. Combined with the proposed 400-megawatt solar project, the broader development would represent twice that generating capacity.

But for DeKalb County, the question is not just how much power the project could produce.

It is also what DeKalb County gets, what it absorbs and how much authority county government actually has once a private developer has reached agreements with private landowners.

ENGIE said it is the project developer, construction manager and expected long-term owner and operator. The company said Blattner is anticipated to serve as the engineering, procurement and construction contractor during construction, though that decision is still being finalized.

The DeKalb County portion of the wind project could include up to 21 turbines, although ENGIE said the final count will depend on the turbine model ultimately selected. Turbine nameplates under consideration range from 4.75 megawatts to 6.5 megawatts.

Across the full wind project, ENGIE said up to 85 turbines are possible, though the likely range is between 67 and 82.

The DeKalb County turbines would be located in the northwesternmost portion of the county, primarily near Union Star and toward the Gentry County line. ENGIE also said a handful of potential turbine pads could be located south of Union Star.

That distinction matters. King City is in Gentry County, not DeKalb County. While ENGIE described the project area as primarily between Union Star and King City, the DeKalb County portion appears to be concentrated near Union Star and the county’s northwest corner.

DeKalb County Presiding Commissioner Kyle Carroll previously said the DeKalb County portion could include roughly 15 to 20 turbines north of Union Star and west of U.S. 169. ENGIE’s response now places the possible DeKalb County count slightly higher, at up to 21.

The solar project would largely sit outside DeKalb County.

ENGIE said the 400-megawatt Empire Prairie Solar Project would be located on leased acres in Andrew and Gentry counties. According to the company, only a very small portion of the solar gen-tie line would clip the northwestern corner of DeKalb County.

In practical terms, that means DeKalb County’s direct physical footprint appears to be mostly tied to wind turbines, road use, construction movement and a small section of solar transmission infrastructure — not the large solar field itself.

ENGIE said it expects mobilization and tree-clearing activities to begin in November 2026. Full construction is expected to proceed between the first quarter of 2027 and the fourth quarter of 2028.

Landowner agreements are already in place, according to ENGIE.

The company also said it has presented to DeKalb County commissioners in public meetings several times over the past three years. ENGIE said its team has held multiple dinners for participating landowners and held a public open house in September 2025 at the Tri-County Alternative Energy & Visitor Center in King City.

ENGIE also pointed residents to its project website, empire-prairie.com, for project information and public contact.

Road impact remains one of the central local issues.

ENGIE said haul-route planning has already been considered in preliminary design and will continue through additional engineering work and site visits. Before construction begins, the company said it intends to negotiate and execute a Road Use and Maintenance Agreement with DeKalb County, as well as Andrew and Gentry counties.

The company said that agreement would commit ENGIE to restoring roads used for transporting equipment to the project site to a condition “as good as, if not better,” than before construction.

That promise will likely become one of the most important local details as the project moves forward.

Carroll said Tuesday that road-use agreements are the county’s main point of leverage because DeKalb County is largely unzoned. Without zoning, county officials do not sit in the position of approving or denying private energy development in the same way a zoning board might.

Instead, the county’s immediate work is focused on roads, bridges, haul routes, gravel, concrete, restoration requirements and taxpayer protection.

That is where the benefit-and-burden question becomes important.

ENGIE says the project would generate substantial power and long-term tax revenue. But DeKalb County could also see heavy equipment, oversized turbine components, gravel demand, concrete demand, road modifications, temporary construction sites and long-term changes to the rural landscape.

ENGIE confirmed the project is expected to require multiple laydown yards and at least one temporary concrete batch plant within the project area to support construction.

Carroll previously said the project could create significant demand for gravel and concrete, especially with large turbine bases and access roads leading to turbine sites. He also said some roads may need to be adjusted to handle large turbine blades, which are expected to be longer than anything previously brought into DeKalb County.

On economic impact, ENGIE said exact numbers remain subject to final design and installation. However, the company said the wind project alone is expected to generate hundreds of millions of dollars in tax revenue over the project’s 35-year lifetime.

DeKalb County would receive a share of those benefits corresponding to the portion of the project installed within the county.

That leaves an important local question still unanswered: how much of that projected tax revenue will actually flow to DeKalb County government, DeKalb County schools, fire districts, ambulance districts, townships or other local taxing entities?

Carroll previously said DeKalb County currently receives roughly $77,000 to $80,000 per year from 197 existing turbines. He said schools, fire districts and ambulance districts receive larger portions of the tax benefit than county government.

ENGIE said it intends to source materials locally where feasible and plans to have an operations and maintenance building in the project area. The exact location has not yet been determined. The company said the building would house local employees hired to support project operations.

That could create some long-term local employment, but it is not yet clear whether the building or jobs would be located in DeKalb County.

ENGIE also responded to two questions that have circulated around large energy projects in the region: Grain Belt Express and data centers.

The company said the Empire Prairie projects are not connected to Grain Belt Express. ENGIE said it would use existing transmission lines to deliver power to the grid.

ENGIE also confirmed that no data center is planned on its DeKalb County site.

Carroll previously said he had asked project representatives about data centers and was told there was no data-center plan tied to the company’s DeKalb County work. He also said he does not currently believe DeKalb County has the infrastructure needed for the largest data centers, though county officials are trying to educate themselves on the issue.

Still, the zoning question remains.

If private developers reach agreements with private landowners in an unzoned county, the county’s ability to shape or stop major development may be limited. That does not only apply to wind turbines. It could apply to solar development, data centers or other large private projects that seek to locate in rural areas.

Carroll said the county has not taken a formal position for or against the Empire Prairie project. He said commissioners are trying to keep residents informed while protecting roads, bridges and taxpayers within the authority the county has.

ENGIE’s response frames Empire Prairie as a major energy and economic development project capable of producing large amounts of domestic electricity and long-term tax revenue.

The county’s position is narrower and more practical: if the project is coming, DeKalb County wants to make sure its roads, bridges and taxpayers are protected.

That is where the next stage of the public conversation is likely to land.