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Irasburg-Lowell: Blittersdorf files 45-day notice on Kidder Hill wind project
Credit: Irasburg-LowellBlittersdorf Files 45-Day Notice On Kidder Hill Wind Project | Robin Smith | Caledonian Record | December 24, 2016 | www.caledonianrecord.com ~~
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David Blittersdorf on Friday began the permit process needed to erect two industrial-sized wind turbines on his Kidder Hill property in Irasburg or Lowell.
His company Kidder Hill Community Wind filed a 45-day notice with Vermont utility regulators on the Vermont Public Service Board about pending plans to file an application for two turbines of about 2.2 megawatts each.
The notice “presents options for the project being located in either Lowell or Irasburg or sharing the benefits of one in each town,” according to the press release.
Blittersdorf had originally wanted to put the two turbines on the Irasburg side of his property but has broadened the potential for the project.
The proposal was welcomed in Lowell.
“In Lowell, we know wind and the benefits it can provide to our community in tax payments and boosting Vermont’s energy security,” said Richard Pion, member of the Lowell Select Board.
Lowell already hosts Kingdom Community Wind, a 21-wind turbine project on the Lowell ridgeline owned by Green Mountain Power.
“We are encouraged by this proposal for two turbines on Kidder Hill and the possibility of hosting them in Lowell. I look forward to working with the project team and more details as the permitting process continues,” Pion stated in the press release.
The idea of wind turbines in Irasburg has been opposed by the Irasburg Select Board. The planning commission there has worked on a first-ever Irasburg town plan that would meet state standards to allow the select board to have a say over the siting of the project.
Blittersdorf has also filed a 45-day notice of intent to apply for a certificate of public good for a 499-foot-tall wind turbine on Dairy Air Farm in Holland. He can apply to the Vermont Public Service Board for a certificate for Dairy Air Wind at any time now.
The two-wind turbine project on Kidder Hill will produce enough clean energy to power more than 2,100 Vermont households, Kidder Hill Community Wind stated.
Kidder Hill is expected to contribute approximately $40,000 in local community payments and $40,000 to the statewide Education Fund annually, making it one of the largest taxpayers in the area, according to the press release.
The community wind farm is proposed on private property near Blittersdorf’s log cabin.
Blittersdorf is a lifelong Vermonter and business leader with 35 years of wind energy experience. He also built and operates Georgia Mountain Community Wind in Milton and Georgia Vermont which uses similar technology to what is planned for Kidder Hill.
The project development team is working with Vermont utilities on the purchase of the power and environmental credits known as RECs (Renewable Energy Credits). The project is also on the list of renewables being considered for purchase by Connecticut.
The lower-elevation wind site will require minimal site-work, has easy road access, and is nearby existing electric infrastructure, according to the press statement.
Kidder Hill Community Wind plans to hire Vermonters and firms for project managers, engineers, environmental scientists, landscape architects, historic preservationists, financial advisers and legal advisers.
Once the 45-day notification period has passed, Kidder Hill Community Wind plans to request approval of the Vermont Public Service Board to install and operate the wind turbines. The Board must find that the project will serve the public good and will not have an undue adverse effect on our natural environment, aesthetics, historic sites, public safety, transportation systems and other public interests.
The project will also proceed with obtaining all other required permits including those issued by the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources and the Federal Aviation Administration.
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