Photo by Deb Gau Monica Monterrosa, director of renewable development at Invenergy, took part in a ribbon-cutting ceremony for Invenergy’s new regional office in Marshall on Wednesday. Invenergy is seeking to build a wind farm in southwest Minnesota, in an area including Lyon County.

MARSHALL — They’ve been working on getting the land for a new wind farm in southwest Minnesota. But employees of Invenergy also needed a central office location to work from. That’s why the company recently moved from offices in Tyler to the former Wilson O’Brien real estate office on West College Drive, company representatives said.

“Having an office in Marshall made sense,” said Monica Monterrosa, director of renewable development with Invenergy. Monterrosa said Invenergy’s work on the proposed wind farm was at a point where it was focusing more on the area around Lyon and Redwood counties.

Invenergy employees met with Marshall Area Chamber of Commerce President Brad Gruhot on Wednesday afternoon to cut the ribbon on their new regional office. The Marshall location has offices where Invenergy project managers and employees in the region can work, as well as space for Invenergy land agents to meet with area residents, said office assistant Connie VanderPoel.

Invenergy is a privately-held renewable energy developer based in the U.S. The company has renewable energy projects, including wind and solar projects, around the country. Currently, Invenergy is planning a wind farm, the Purple Skies Wind Energy Center, in an area of southwest Minnesota including southern Lyon County, northern Murray County, and parts of Lincoln, Pipestone and Redwood counties.

The Purple Skies wind energy project is proposed to generate 1,000 megawatts of electricity, with construction planned to begin in 2026 and 2027, according to materials on the Purple Skies project website. Monterrosa said the specifics of the project will be affected by how much land is secured for it, and the development of possible connections for the energy the wind turbines generate.

Monterrosa said the Purple Skies wind project is still in the early stages. In the Marshall area, Invenergy is looking at securing land. However, work on the project was farther along in Lincoln County, where Invenergy is now doing environmental surveys, she said. As the company shifted focus to areas around Lyon and Redwood County, she said, “We tried to find a central location where we can manage multiple projects.”

The same team of Invenergy employees that worked from the Tyler office would be working from the new Marshall regional office, she said.

VanderPoel said the Marshall regional office would also be a place where area residents with questions about Invenergy’s projects could get more information. Gruhot said the Invenergy office will also be hosting a “Business During Hours” open house event with the Marshall Area Chamber in the future.