June 4, 2020
New York

State’s largest wind farm OK’d in Southern Tier, but foes may sue

By Thomas J. Prohaska | The Buffalo News | Published Thu, Jun 4, 2020 | buffalonews.com

A state siting board approved the largest wind power development yet in New York Wednesday. It would spread 116 wind turbines, each nearly 600 feet tall, across five towns in Wyoming, Cattaraugus and Allegany counties.

However, attorney Gary A. Abraham said Thursday that a lawsuit is being considered by opponents, including a coalition of citizen groups, an Amish community and the towns of Rushford, Freedom and Farmersville, where Abraham said anti-wind power candidates won November’s local elections.

The Alle-Catt Wind Energy project, to be developed by Chicago-based Invenergy LLC, includes 36 turbines in Centerville, 33 in Freedom, 21 in Farmersville, and 13 each in Arcade and Rushford.

The company leased about 30,000 acres from landowners, who are to be paid a total of $2.7 million a year for 20 years, the state Public Service Department said. Local governments would divide $3.2 million a year.

The wind farm’s maximum output of 340 megawatts is enough to power 134,000 homes, the state said. The $454 million project was first proposed in late 2017.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2020/06/04/states-largest-wind-farm-okd-in-southern-tier-but-foes-may-sue/