Wind proposal could mean 21 turbines
SAVOY, Mass. — Two different wind farms proposed in Savoy could, if built, result in 11 wind turbines on the west side of town, and over the line in Adams, there could be another 10 wind turbines as part of one of the projects.
Altogether, the two projects could end up with a total capacity of 52.5 megawatts, and both wind farms could generate the equivalent of the average power needs for more than 20,000 homes.
Minuteman Wind is proposing five, 2.5-megawatt wind turbines for a ridgeline on West Hill, according to Don McCauley, president of Minuteman. The 12.5-megawatt installation would provide the equivalent of the average power needs for roughly 5,000 homes, and would flow through the utility grid to users closest to the wind farm.
Based on the industry standard of about $2 million per megawatt, the Minuteman project would cost roughly $25 million, although McCauley declined to discuss his estimates for the cost of the project. Located on 290 acres, the total disturbed land would be about 20 acres, including a one-mile-long access road.
Minuteman’s application for a special use permit was the subject of a public hearing of the Savoy Zoning Board of Appeals on Thursday night at town hall.
Savoy voters approved a zoning bylaw that would allow the project “by an overwhelming majority” in January 2008, according to Scott Koczela, chairman of the Savoy Board of Selectmen.
Once operating, the project will pay an annual fee in lieu of taxes to the town of Savoy, in an amount that has not yet been negotiated.
The project has been under development for five years, McCauley said.”We would like to get started [with construction] in 2010, but we suspect people will appeal any decision so our time table is indefinite,” McCauley said. “The principal benefits to the town, aside from a new renewable source of power, will be a significant capital investment that will improve the tax base, and an annual payment in lieu of taxes.”
He said having another wind farm nearby has no effect on Minuteman’s plans.
“We think the demand for power is sufficient to support both projects,” McCauley said.
Meanwhile Patriot Renewables is engaged in a permitting process to erect two meteorological towers 198 feet tall to measure the wind on a parcel of land that straddles the border between Savoy and Adams.
According to Todd Presson, chief operating officer of Patriot Renewables, if the data gathered shows sufficient wind energy year-round, the resulting project would include 12 to 16 wind turbines that could range from 1.5 to 2.5 megawatts in capacity, with a possible total capacity of 40 megawatts. At that capacity, the farm could generate the equivalent of the average power needs for more than 15,000 homes. He said the project could cost more than $65 million.
After six months to a year of gathering wind data, Presson said, officials will be able to make more specific plans for the project, including turbine size and access road design.
The earliest possible construction start would be in 2011, although 2012 seems more likely, he said.
“It takes a while to work through this process,” he said. “We have to take it step by step.”
Adams town officials are supportive of the Patriot effort, said Jonathan Butler, Adams town administrator.
“We’re actually kind of anxious to hear more,” he said. “The town is supportive of this — it’s what we’re trying to do in Massachusetts and in Adams. But obviously we want to hear what the community has to say about it.”
Butler said the wind siting reform act moving through the state Legislature could be helpful in speeding up the permitting process.
“We want to be a community that supports wind [power] in general, so we want to give this company the opportunity to move forward,” he said.
Scott Stafford
22 December 2009
Tags: Wind power, Wind energy
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