November 23, 2011
New York

Brooklyn developer proposing wind farm in Denmark

McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - Steve Virkler Watertown Daily Times, N.Y., www.renewablesbiz.com 22 November 2011

A Brooklyn company is moving forward with plans to site a wind farm in the Lewis County town of Denmark.

“The project is in early stages of development and is not expected to be constructed and online until the end of 2014,” said a project overview provided by OwnEnergy Inc. project manager James Damon. “Through 2012, the company will further define the project footprint, determine the best route for a transmission feeder line and continue to work with community leaders to increase awareness of the project.”

OwnEnergy, under the auspices of Copenhagen Wind Farm LLC, has requested a special-use permit from the town to install a 197-foot-tall meteorological tower at the Lyndon W. and Patricia F. Moser farm, 3981 Wilson Road. It would measure wind speed and direction.

The tower, to be supported by guy wires, would be on 2.5 acres of land just across the road from the Mosers’ barn. The site is just west of the hamlet of Denmark.

The wind farm, if completed, would provide about $20 million to local taxing jurisdictions through a payment-in-lieu-of-taxes agreement “during operating years” and $1 million annually to participating farmers and neighbors, according to company officials. At most, it would be an 80-megawatt project.

OwnEnergy develops so-called “community wind” projects, of which Copenhagen Wind Farm would be the state’s first.

“By forming long-term partnerships with local developers to jointly develop commercial-scale wind projects, OwnEnergy creates local jobs, spurs economic growth and provides communities with clean, renewable sources of energy they can call their own,” according to the project overview.

Beneficial Renewable Resources LLC, Sarasota, Fla., from 2006 to 2008 entered wind development leases with 36 landowners, including the Mosers, in northwestern Lewis County, primarily in Denmark.

Beneficial sought development expertise from OwnEnergy in 2010, and the Brooklyn company entered an agreement in early 2011 to take over development of the project, the overview states. OwnEnergy, with the assistance of Saratoga Springs renewable energy consulting firm Trieste Associates Inc., recently began community outreach, including a presentation this month to some local leaders at Copenhagen Central School by Mr. Damon and fellow project manager P.J. Saliterman.

The proposed Copenhagen Wind Farm would be just north of the 195-turbine Maple Ridge Wind Farm. The 39-turbine, 78-megawatt Roaring Brook Wind Farm project is also under development in the town of Martinsburg, south of Maple Ridge, with construction to begin as soon as next year.

The Denmark town Planning Board has scheduled a public hearing on the proposed meteorological tower at 7:30 p.m. Monday at the town municipal building, 3707 Roberts Road, Deer River.

The board also will hold another public hearing that night on a special-use permit request from Mark J. and Tracey Thomas to install a 10-kilowatt personal wind turbine on a 140-foot tower at their 10280 Old State Road residence.

Partly owing to the existence of the wind leases, the town in 2010 adopted a wind power zoning law regulating turbine setbacks and noise levels, among other things.