Attica wind farm out; lacked key factor: wind
First Wind, the developer of the Steel Winds wind-power project in Lackawanna, has shelved a wind farm in Attica because of a lack of wind and has postponed a similar project in Prattsburgh because of the economy.
In addition, the Newton, Mass., company said that while a second-phase Steel Winds project in Lackawanna is still in the future, there are no plans for immediate construction.
Wyoming County already has more than 200 wind turbines in the towns of Sheldon, Eagle and Wethersfield, and more are planned in the future.
First Wind spokesman John Lamontagne said the company’s wind testing in the Wyoming County towns of Attica, Bennington and Middlebury over the past two years showed there was not enough wind.
“It didn’t make sense to go forward with the project,” he said.
Lamontagne said the Gen- Wy Wind project company had planned a 100-megawatt project in the three towns, which would have meant more than 60 of the 400-foot-high industrial wind turbines.
He said that after the company reviewed data from its meteorological towers, it decided to close its GenWy office in Attica and shut down the project.
Valary Sahrle, who has been fighting a wind project by Horizon Wind Energy in the nearby village of Perry, said First Wind’s decision to scrap the Attica project makes sense.
“For them to make a statement there is not enough wind is golden,” she said. “If you look at a wind map of New York, the only places with enough wind are Lake Erie and off the coast of Long Island.”
The First Wind spokesman said there is sufficient wind in Prattsburgh, Steuben County, but said the tightening of credit markets has caused a postponement in that 36-turbine project.
“For Prattsburgh, given the current economic climate, we made a strategic decision to postpone the project,” he said.
Seven landowners in Prattsburgh who oppose the wind project are fighting the seizure of their land by the town through eminent domain so the wind company could bury a cable to connect the wind turbines.
Lamontagne said turbines in a project in the neighboring town of Cohocton, whose wind turbines are visible from Interstate 390, should be operating within the next several weeks.
First Wind, he said, still plans an expansion of the eight-turbine Steel Winds wind farm, as well as the Clover Ridge project in the Town of Charlotte, Chautauqua County, but not in the coming year.
Log into MyBuffalo to post a comment
MyBuffalo is the new social network from Buffalo.com. Your MyBuffalo account lets you comment on and rate stories at buffalonews.com. You can also head over to mybuffalo.com to share your blog posts, stories, photos, and videos with the community. Join now or learn more.
Reader comments