New York state officials granted a permit Tuesday for the construction of 36 wind turbines across approximately 50 acres of mostly rural land in Steuben County.
The project, owned by California-based renewable energy company Terra-Gen, is set to generate nearly 150 megawatts of renewable energy — enough to power an estimated 62,000 homes. It will cross the towns of Prattsburgh, Avoca, Cohocton, Howard, and Wheeler.
The project is expected to bring in more than $1.2 million annually in tax revenue for local municipalities, along with payments to landowners, according to an announcement from the governor’s office. It is set to create 81 construction jobs and eight full-time positions.
Governor Kathy Hochul said in the announcement Tuesday that the wind farm is a key part of the state’s transition away from burning fossil fuels, which contributes to climate change.
The state’s Office of Renewable Energy Siting, or ORES, which is responsible for permitting large-scale renewable projects, granted the final siting permit.
“Today’s announcement demonstrates the State’s continued commitment to a clean energy transition,” said Jessica Waldorf, executive director of ORES, in a statement. “[The project] will support the delivery of significant amounts of clean energy to the electric grid and local community benefits, while mitigating significant adverse environmental impacts.”
But some local residents and officials say they are concerned about the new wind farm. Those include Prattsburgh Council Member Pete Scheid, who said he worried the tall turbines would obstruct the town’s rural beauty, and that constructing them would be disruptive. The turbines' blades are expected to reach as high as a skyscraper, up to 655 feet.
“One of the things that people always speak to is the quiet and solitude of the town — just the backdrop of the hills and nature,” said Scheid. “It's going to be impacted, for sure.”
Scheid also said he is concerned the money the town receives from developers would not be sufficient. In part, that is because the developers plan to negotiate a 20-year payment in lieu of taxes (PILOT) agreement with the county’s industrial development agency, or IDA. That would mean the developers would not pay regular taxes to municipalities.
Such agreements are common for large-scale developments. But Scheid said they can leave communities shortchanged.
James Johnson, executive director of the Steuben County IDA, said in an email that the IDA is “pleased to see this project receive its approval from the State.”
However, Johnson said that the company has not approached the IDA to negotiate any agreements. He expects that to happen once the developers receive a contract from the state energy authority, NYSERDA, to purchase the energy the wind farm generates.
Johnson said the IDA will review any request from the developers and perform an economic benefit analysis, which will be available to the public.
Steuben County is home to other large-scale wind energy projects in development. Those include Baron Winds, a 32-turbine project under construction in the towns of Cohocton, Dansville, and Wayland.