New York approves Calpine Corp's 124 MW wind project in Broome County

The New York State Board on Electric Generation Siting and the Environment has reaffirmed its earlier decision granting Bluestone Wind, LLC (Bluestone Wind) approval to build and operate a wind farm in Broome County. The Siting Board’s decision follows a detailed and careful review of three petitions that were filed seeking reconsideration of the initial December 2019 decision.

On January 15, 2020, the Delaware-Otsego Audubon Society, Inc.; the Broome County Concerned Residents; and a resident of the Village of Johnson City filed separate petitions for rehearing, each arguing the Siting Board committed errors of fact and law when it issued its December 2019 decision. The decision to deny the rehearing petitions is based on the extensive record in this proceeding and the submissions of the parties. The Siting Board found that its earlier decision was appropriate based on its statutory authority and a thorough and appropriate hearing of the facts in this case

In December, the Siting Board approved the 124 megawatts (MW) Bluestone Wind project, which will consist of up to 27 wind turbines (23 in the Town of Sanford and four in the Town of Windsor), together with associated underground collection lines, access roads, two permanent meteorological towers, and an operation and maintenance building in the Town of Sanford

In addition to the turbines, a substation will be located in the Town of Sanford at the end of the project’s 34.5-kilovolt collection system and will include a 10-megawatt battery storage system. A second substation will be located at the point of interconnection, adjacent to an existing electric transmission line owned by New York State Electric and Gas Corporation. The two substations will be connected by a 200-foot long span of overhead 115-kilovolt transmission line

The facility will be located on privately leased rural land that, according to Bluestone, will enable landowners to continue with existing land uses, such as forestry operations, mining, and hunting. The Project will provide economic benefits by creating direct jobs, will generate revenues for local governments through Payments In Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) agreements, and will provide revenues for participating landowners through lease and other agreements.