The New York State Public Service Commission (Commission) today (Nov 17) approved important compliance filings for four major wind farms in upstate New York, part of the continuing effort of the Commission to spur the development of clean, renewable energy in New York State. The actions taken today were needed before the projects could start certain construction related activities or become operational.
"These renewable energy projects that are being built are crucial to meeting the aggressive carbon reduction and clean-energy targets set out by the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act," said Commission Chair Rory M. Christian. "Projects such as these are vital in combatting climate change by reducing our reliance on fossil fuels, boosting clean-energy investment, creating clean-energy jobs, and improving our environment."
The compliance filings, considered among the last steps before a project becomes operational, relate to the following projects: Eight Point Wind, a 101.8-megawatt (MW) wind farm in the Towns of Greenwood and West Union in Steuben County; Bluestone Wind, a 124-MW wind farm in the Towns of Windsor and Sanford in Broome County; Baron Winds, a 242-MW wind farm in the Towns of Cohocton, Dansville, Fremont, and Wayland, Steuben County; and Number Three Wind, a 105.8- MW wind farm in the Towns of Lowville and Harrisburg, Lewis County.
Bluestone Wind's compliance relates to the submission of the final complaint resolution, emergency action, site security, health and safety, and curtailment plans, as well as bald and golden eagle, bat and avian monitoring and protection measures and net conservation benefit plans. Baron Winds' compliance relates to emergency procedures, site security, turbine lighting, maps and site plans, bat curtailment, eagle mitigation, avian and bat-monitoring and adaptive management plans as well as installation of aircraft detection lighting systems.
Eight Point Wind's compliance relates to shadow flicker caused by wind turbine operation; avian and bat monitoring and adaptive management, and net conservation benefit plans. And finally, Number Three Wind's compliance relates to net conservation benefit plans for grassland birds, plans for post construction bat and avian monitoring, emergency response plans, site security plans, and operations and maintenance plans, including for facility and corridor-vegetation management plans.
These four projects are among the 18 renewable energy projects approved to date by the Board on Electric Generation Siting and the Environment (Siting Board). Taken together, solar and wind farm projects approved by the Siting Board will generate more than 2,510 MWs of clean, renewable energy.
New York State's Nation-Leading Climate Plan
New York State's nation-leading climate agenda is the most aggressive climate and clean energy initiative in the nation, calling for an orderly and just transition to clean energy that creates jobs and continues fostering a green economy as New York State recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic. Enshrined into law through the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, New York is on a path to achieve its mandated goal of a zero-emission electricity sector by 2040, including 70 percent renewable energy generation by 2030, and to reach economy wide carbon neutrality. It builds on New York's unprecedented investments to ramp-up clean energy including over $35 billion in 120 large-scale renewable and transmission projects across the state, $6.8 billion to reduce buildings emissions, $1.8 billion to scale up solar, more than $1 billion for clean transportation initiatives, and over $1.6 billion in NY Green Bank commitments. Combined, these investments are supporting nearly 158,000 jobs in New York's clean energy sector in 2020, a 2,100 percent growth in the distributed solar sector since 2011 and a commitment to develop 9,000 megawatts of offshore wind by 2035. Under the Climate Act, New York will build on this progress and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 85 percent from 1990 levels by 2050, while ensuring that at least 35 percent with a goal of 40 percent of the benefits of clean energy investments are directed to disadvantaged communities, and advance progress towards the state's 2025 energy efficiency target of reducing on-site energy consumption by 185 trillion BTUs of end-use energy savings.
Today's decisions may be obtained by going to the Commission Documents section of the Commission's Web site at www.dps.ny.gov and entering Case Numbers 15-F-0122 [Baron Winds]; 16-F-0559 [Bluestone Wind]; 16-F-0062 [Eight Point Wind]; and 16-F-0328 [Number Three] in the input box labeled "Search for Case/Matter Number". Many libraries offer free Internet access. Commission documents may also be obtained from the Commission's Files Office, 14th floor, Three Empire State Plaza, Albany, NY 12223 (518-474-2500). If you have difficulty understanding English, please call us at 1-800-342-3377 for free language assistance services regarding this press release.
Contact:
James Denn | James.Denn@dps.ny.gov | (518) 474-7080
For more information
3 Empire State Plz
Albany New York
United States 12223-1350
www.dps.state.ny.us
