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For Immediate Release: 4/18/2019

John B. Rhodes,  Chair
                                              
Contact:
John Chirlin | John.Chirlin@dps.ny.gov | (518) 474-7080
 
 
 

19035/18-E-0654

 
April 18, 2019

PSC Approves 100 MW Ball Hill Wind Farm

Clean Energy Facility in Chautauqua County Gets Green Light to Build

ALBANY — The New York State Public Service Commission (Commission) today approved the construction and operation of Ball Hill Wind Energy, LLC’s (Ball Hill) wind electric generating facility in Chautauqua County. This utility-scale wind farm will generate enough electricity for more than 28,000 average-sized residential homes.

“New York State has ambitious clean energy goals that require the smart, aggressive development of renewable energy. Appropriately sited wind farms are a necessary component of our clean energy future,” said Commission Chair John B. Rhodes. “As we look to celebrate Earth Day on Monday, today’s action demonstrates that New York can build clean energy projects and deliver clean energy economy jobs in a responsible and balanced manner.”

Ball Hill is expected to produce approximately 100 megawatts (MW) of electric generating capacity using wind turbines located in the Towns of Villenova and Hanover, Chautauqua County. The Facility will include 29 turbines, 23 of which will be built in Villenova and six in Hanover. In addition to the turbines, the facility will include an approximate 25.6-mile 34.5 kilovolt (kV) mostly underground electrical collection system and a new substation to interconnect with the National Grid 230 kV system in the Town of Hanover.

According to the company, construction and operation of the facility is expected to infuse the area with sizable tax revenues and create up to 90 construction jobs. When operational, the wind farm will represent a large portion of the local tax base and create approximately five to seven permanent jobs. The facility will also serve the goals of improving fuel diversity, grid reliability, and modernization of grid infrastructure.

To secure Commission approval, Ball Hill demonstrated that it is financially viable and obtained all necessary municipal consents to construct and operate its facility. In December 2016, after undergoing a local environmental review and approval process under the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA), the Towns of Villenova and Hanover issued permits to Ball Hill. Given the fact that the wind generation facility will be developed and operated on a merchant basis and will participate in the wholesale energy markets, the Commission granted Ball Hill a lightened ratemaking regulatory regime today that is similar to the regulatory treatment granted to other merchant generators. The Commission’s approval, however, includes a condition that tightens the decommissioning obligations for Ball Hill.

New York State’s Green New Deal

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo’s Green New Deal, the nation’s leading clean energy and jobs agenda, will aggressively put New York State on a path to economy-wide carbon neutrality. This initiative will provide for a just transition to clean energy, spurring the growth of the green economy and mandating New York's power be 100 percent clean and carbon-free by 2040, one of the most aggressive goals in the U.S. The cornerstone of this newly proposed mandate is a significant increase of New York's successful Clean Energy Standard to 70 percent renewable electricity by 2030. As part of the unprecedented ramp-up of renewable energy, New York has already invested $2.9 billion into 46 large-scale renewable projects across the state as it significantly increases its clean energy targets, such as: quadrupling New York's offshore wind target to a nation-leading 9,000 megawatts by 2035; doubling distributed solar deployment to 6,000 megawatts by 2025; and deploying 3,000 megawatts of energy storage by 2030. To support this ambitious work, NY Green Bank intends to use its expertise in overcoming financing gaps to foster greater environmental impacts per public dollar by raising over $1 billion in third party funds to expand climate financing availability across New York and the rest of North America.

Reforming the Energy Vision

The Green New Deal builds on Governor Andrew M. Cuomo's landmark Reforming the Energy Vision strategy to lead on climate change and grow New York's economy. REV is building a cleaner, more resilient and affordable energy system for all New Yorkers by stimulating investment in clean technologies like solar, wind, and energy efficiency. Already, REV has driven growth of nearly 1,500 percent in the statewide solar market, improved energy affordability for 1.65 million low-income customers, and has led to more than 150,000 jobs in manufacturing, engineering, and other clean tech sectors across New York State.

To learn more about the Green New Deal and REV, visit rev.ny.gov, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

Today’s decision may be obtained by going to the Commission Documents section of the Commission’s Web site at www.dps.ny.gov and entering Case Number 18-E-0654in 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.

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