Supporters and opponents of a proposed wind farm development in eastern Broome County may be wondering if new from the west may be a sign of things to come for the Bluestone project in Sanford and Windsor.

David McNew, Getty Images
David McNew, Getty Images
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A wind farm with up to 68 turbines in Steuben County September 13 gained approval of New York's Electric Generation Siting Board.

The 242-megawatt Baron Winds project will be built in the towns of Cohocton, Dansville, Fremont and Wayland. It will connect with the state's electrical grid through New York State Electric and Gas transmission lines.

The project will be built and operated by a subsidiary of the German energy company Innogy. The 492-foot-tall turbines will be spread over private agricultural and recreational land.

Local governments in Steuben County will receive payments of approximately $26 million over 20 years. Host towns will also receive payments estimated to be up to approximately $12 million over 20 years under community agreements.

A hearing was held last week in Windsor where the Siting Board heard from stakeholders in the project being proposed by Calpine Energy of Houston, Texas.  The proposal calls for 29 installations in Sanford and four in Windsor, producing 124-megawatts of electricity.

Supporters are touting clean energy and jobs generated by the facility while opponents say there are a host of environmental concerns as well as expected negative impacts on property values.

The siting commission is expected to make a decision on the Broome County project by the end of the year.

 

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