July 12, 2018
Massachusetts

Massachusetts’ second-largest wind farm expanding

By Jim Kinney | July 12, 2018 | www.masslive.com

The Berkshire Wind Power Project atop Brodie Mountain in Hancock will expand by two additional turbines, each capable of generating 2.3 megawatts, by next spring.

Owner Berkshire Wind Power Cooperative announced the expansion Thursday. The cooperative is a nonprofit entity consisting of 14 Massachusetts municipal utilities and the Massachusetts Municipal Wholesale Electric Co.

The new capacity of 4.6 megawatts can power up to 1,840 homes, said Kate Roy, spokeswoman for MMWEC, which has its headquarters in Ludlow.

The wind farm now has 10 turbines capable of producing enough electricity to power 6,000 homes while offsetting the production of nearly 612,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide and the use of 1.7 million barrels of oil, according to the wind farm’s website.

The 15-megawatt Berkshire Wind Power Project is the state’s second-largest operating wind farm. It’s situated at one of the best inland wind sites in the state where wind speeds average 18.3 mph, according to the release.

Roy said that while the cooperative has authorized the project, it cannot yet release a cost estimate. The project is in the early stages and the cooperative hasn’t selected a vendor.

Municipal utilities in Ashburnham, Boylston, Groton, Holden, Hull, Ipswich, Marblehead, Paxton, Peabody, Shrewsbury, Sterling, Templeton, Wakefield and West Boylston participated in the first phase of the project by agreeing to buy power.

Municipal utilities in Boylston, Chicopee, Hull, Ipswich, Marblehead, Peabody, Russell, Sterling, Wakefield and West Boylston are participating in the second phase, she said.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2018/07/12/massachusetts-second-largest-wind-farm-expanding/