November 4, 2007
New York
New York
A 250-megawatt wind farm project could be coming to Galloo Island within the next couple of years.
Robert W. Burgdorf, a Rochester attorney representing Upstate NY Power Co., a company affiliated with the global investment and advisory firm Babcock and Brown, said the company selected the 1,934.6 available acres on Galloo Island as a location for a wind farm due to its productive wind resource.
“This would provide clean, renewable energy to a significant number of homes,” Mr. Burgdorf said. “There’d be an undersea cable taking it to the main power grid.”
The number of wind turbines and their locations has not yet been determined, he said.
Galloo Island is a private, 4.5-mile-long island in Lake Ontario, about 12 miles from Sackets Harbor. The island was listed for sale on the Web site Private Islands Online last month with a price tag of $12,750,000.
Although the island is in the town of Hounsfield, it is actually closer to the town of Henderson mainland, being about 6 miles from Stony Point.
PRK Holdings Group, Syracuse, owns the island. Robert H. Kemper Jr., Fayetteville, is listed as one of the owners.
Mr. Burgdorf said Upstate NY Power Co. currently has an option to buy the property, although he would not comment on a possible sale price or the anticipated cost of the entire project.
Hounsfield Town Supervisor Jean H. Derouin said the town recently issued Upstate NY Power Co. a temporary permit for wind-monitoring towers, or anemometers, on the island.
Mr. Burgdorf said four small temporary towers soon will be erected to collect wind speed data and operate until final permits are issued. The permit for the anemometers is valid for one year.
“We’ll make an application shortly for local zoning approvals, but mostly that’ll start the environmental review process, which will be thorough and take a fair amount of time,” Mr. Burgdorf said.
Mr. Derouin said Town Attorney Dennis G. Whelpley, Town Engineer Kris D. Dimmick and a couple of Planning Board members have discussed the idea and are excited to move forward with it.
“It could have a tremendous impact on the county, town and school district, as far as tax breaks and pilot programs,” Mr. Derouin said.
He said he was unaware of the proposal until Oct. 22.
Galloo Island, Mr. Burgdorf said, is one of the select areas in the state that has wind resources capable of producing a viable wind farm project.
The town was approached by a different firm, Greenlight Energy Inc., early last year regarding a wind farm proposal elsewhere in the town, but the idea never took off.
By Rebecca Madden
Watertown Daily Times
31 October 2007
URL to article: https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2007/11/04/galloo-island-eyed-for-wind-turbines/