January 31, 2014
New Hampshire

No decision on Groton wind farm certificate until December

By Sam Evans-Brown | New Hampshire Public Radio | January 30, 2014 | nhpr.org

It will be almost another year before state regulators decide whether to revoke the certificate of a 24 turbine wind farm in Groton.

The Groton wind farm has been under scrutiny after it changed its design, shifting the locations of a few of the turbines, roads, and its operations headquarters. Iberdrola, which owns the wind farm, says it submitted these changes to the Department of Environmental Services, before it was built, but local watchdogs and a representative of the attorney general’s office believe DES didn’t have the authority to approve the modifications.

In a state-run meeting Thursday, Iberdrola and its critics agreed to wait until the snow melts to conduct a survey of the wind farm, and initiate proceedings after that. The timeline pushes any decision on the matter out to next December.

State regulators may also get a chance to rule on whether the wind farm meets fire-code, though Iberdrola says it hopes to resolve that issue with the state fire marshal prior to the hearing.

[audio available]

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2014/01/31/no-decision-on-groton-wind-farm-certificate-until-december/