Black Creek supervisors OK preliminary wind farm plans
A Sunbury-based company that plans to build a portion of a wind farm in Black Creek Township can start building infrastructure as soon as it gets local construction permits.
Penn Wind LLC plans to build 22 turbines on Buck Mountain – four in Black Creek, Luzerne County, and 18 in neighboring Beaver Township, Columbia County.
Black Creek Township supervisors listened to Penn Wind’s revised plans Tuesday night and voted to approve the preliminary plans with seven conditions.
Black Creek Township Solicitor Donald Karpowich said Penn Wind won’t be allowed to build turbines on site yet but the company can start building the concrete pads the turbines will sit on and can construct storm water facilities and utility roads.
Turbine construction has to wait until the township grants Penn Wind final approval and a issues a permit for each turbine.
The company – which is dissolving its affiliation with juwi and forming ties with Pattern Energy, a firm financially backed by Riverstone Holdings LLC – must receive its National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit from the Department of Environmental Protection, a Highway Occupancy Permit (HOP) from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and receive its Public Utilities Commission energy permit.
The company must also submit revised plans to Black Creek that adequately address erosion concerns for Buck Mountain and execute its stormwater facilities maintenance agreement with Black Creek, which will outline how stormwater will be controlled and improved.
Penn Wind also has to show Black Creek it received approval for its wind farm from Beaver, Hazle and Sugarloaf townships and provide an improvement agreement and an agreement for decommissioning the wind farm. Penn Wind plans to submit a subdivision plan to Sugarloaf for its electrical substation in December.
By Amanda Christman
Staff Writer
Standard Speaker
25 November 2009
Tags: Wind power, Wind energy
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