January 22, 2011
New York

Wind updates

Observer-Dispatch, www.uticaod.com 22 January 2011

Hardscrabble Wind Farm: All 37 of the Hardscrabble Wind Farm’s turbines in Fairfield and Norway have been erected and are connected to the power grid, said Paul Copleman, spokesman for project developer Iberdrola Renewables. Some commissioning work and testing remains to be done, and the wind farm is expected to begin commercial operation in February, he said. In November, Iberdrola briefly shut down the farm after it was discovered that concrete used in the foundations of some turbines didn’t meet company standards. As a result, 15 foundations were modified to now meet or exceed standards, he said.

Fairfield wind project: NorthWind and Power has proposed building a wind farm with eight to 12 turbines on Dry Hill in Litchfield. The town is still in the process of developing its wind laws, and town officials are expecting an updated opinion from their attorney soon, Litchfield Deputy Supervisor Kate Entwistle said. Litchfield currently has a moratorium on wind projects through March 2011, and officials are considering extending that through March 2012 to allow for the full process of planning and developing the wind law, she said. A public hearing on the proposed moratorium extension is scheduled for the beginning of the next Town Board meeting at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 8, at the town offices at 804 Cedarville Road in Ilion, she said. The board also expects to vote on the moratorium that night, she said.

Fenner Wind Farm: Enel North America began operating the Fenner Wind Farm in 2001 in Madison County. On Dec. 27, 2009, one of the 20 turbines at the farm collapsed. The full incident report on the collapse is not yet complete, Enel spokesman Hank Sennott said. The rest of the turbines were immediately shut down, and their foundations were reinforced, Sennott said. Beginning with three turbines in August, the other 19 turbines have now been brought back online, he said. No decision has been made on whether or how the 20th turbine will be replaced, he said.

New Hartford preparations: Town of New Hartford officials are attempting to proactively prepare wind ordinances in case a wind project is proposed in the future for somewhere in the town. The Town Board decided member Donald Backman would initially look into the issue. After reviewing ordinances from multiple towns, Backman reported back to the board that the laws varied too much, and he believed a professional should be used to develop the ordinance. The other board members instead decided to send the issue to the town’s Zoning Code Committee. The committee, which is currently inactive, will be tasked with reviewing ordinances and reporting to the board, town Supervisor Patrick Tyksinski said.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2011/01/22/wind-updates/