September 16, 2011
Maine

Woodstock wind turbines will start arriving at Spruce Mountain site Oct. 3

By Erin Cox, Staff Writer, Sun Journal, www.sunjournal.com 16 September 2011

WOODSTOCK – An informational meeting on delivery routes for wind turbines at the Spruce Mountain construction site was held Thursday night at Woodstock Elementary School.

Tom Carroll, project coordinator for Patriot Renewables LLC of Quincy, Mass., answered questions from a small crowd of residents.

The construction site is off Shagg Pond Road near Concord Pond in Woodstock. The project, once completed, will have 10 turbines capable of producing up to 20 megawatts.

Eric Gagnon, project manager for Gamesa, which is helping to construct the turbines, said that starting Oct. 3 residents along routes 26 and 232 will see four large towers, a super-sized generator, a hub, and blades being hauled to the site.

Improvements to Concord Pond and Shagg Pond roads, including widening, replacing a culvert and trimming back trees, was completed last spring and paid for by Patriot Renewables LLC.

“It was a positive for the town and taxpayers to have their roads improved free of charge,” Gagnon said.

Stan Tyszko, safety supervisor with Cianbro Corp., brought pictures to help illustrate the construction so far. He talked about the concrete slabs that were put in place and how wind turbine towers are lined up to fit eight-foot bolts placed in the ground.

Gagnon stressed that the project should be considered a high-voltage power operation and will come with the same safety concerns as a power plant.

“The wind farm will have a gate and guard shack,” he said. “It’s not a tourist site, it’s an industrial site. People should not attempt to walk up to the towers whenever they feel like it.”

Gagnon also said there would be safety concerns for construction workers, considering the time of year and weather. Rain, snow and potential wind gusts will slow work at the site.

Patriot Renewables LLC hopes to have the turbines in place by the first week of November and be in commercial operation by the end of December.


URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2011/09/16/woodstock-wind-turbines-will-start-arriving-at-spruce-mountain-site-oct-3/