Project Creates Over 50 Direct Construction Jobs; Provides Increased Revenue for Local Governments

ALBANY — The New York State Board on Electric Generation Siting and the Environment (Siting Board) today granted approval to Number Three Wind, LLC (Number Three Wind) to construct and operate a wind farm in Lewis County. The Siting Board’s decision follows an extensive review and public participation process to ensure that the wind farm meets or exceeds all siting requirements.

“Appropriately sited wind farms represent an essential element of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo’s nation-leading Green New Deal which calls for the development of clean energy resources in New York State,” said Siting Board Chair John B. Rhodes. “Our approval today is the result of rigorous review and strong public input. Wind energy is a clean and renewable energy source that lessens our dependence on fossil fuels. With each Siting Board approval of a renewable energy facility we show that renewable energy works in New York and helps create a clean energy-economy.”

The 105.8-megawatt (MW) Number Three Wind project will consist of 31 turbines, 13 to be located in the Town of Lowville and 18 to be located in the Town of Harrisburg.

In addition to the turbines, project facilities will include access roads, electric collection lines, a project substation, meteorological towers, an operation and maintenance building, and electrical interconnection facilities. The project will be interconnected to the grid via an overhead 115-kV interconnection line approximately four miles long from a project substation to a new 115-kV switchyard in the Town of Lowville, to be built adjacent to National Grid’s existing Lowville-Bremen 115 kV line.

The facility will be located on approximately 8,000 acres of leased or owned property. As described by the developer, the project will have positive economic impacts of five permanent jobs, temporary construction employment, lease payments to landowners, and a new source of revenue for schools, fire departments, county government, and town governments. The company estimated that the project construction will create approximately 50 jobs with a payroll of $4.2 million.

The State’s energy policy is to encourage the development of renewable resources necessary to provide for resilient power, reduce fuel cost volatility, and lower greenhouse gas emissions. The Siting Board determined that the wind farm will be a beneficial addition to the electric generation capacity of the State and is consistent with the State’s energy policy and planning objectives. The facility will also serve the goals of improving fuel diversity, grid reliability, and modernization of grid infrastructure. Fuel diversity will be improved through generation of electricity with wind power rather than with fossil fuels; grid reliability will be improved through additional generation of power from a separate site through a different energy source; and modernization of the grid will result from construction of a new electric generating facility.

Additionally, Number Three Wind has stated that it expects to enter into a PILOT agreement with the Lewis County Industrial Development Agency and it will be subject to special district taxes. Based on similar arrangements at other wind projects in New York, Number Three Wind estimates the project will generate substantial tax revenue for the county, towns, school districts, and fire departments that serve the parcels where the project facilities will be located.

Number Three Wind filed its formal application with the Siting Board in January 2018 but changed the project layout in January 2019. Stakeholders in the proceeding included local elected officials; area residents and environmental advocates; and several state agencies, The Siting Board held two public information sessions and two on-the-record public statement hearings and conducted three days of evidentiary hearings at which expert and factual testimony was taken, all near the project area.

The Siting Board’s decision demonstrates how New York is working to achieve Governor Cuomo's Green New Deal — the most aggressive climate and clean energy initiative in the nation, putting the state on a path to being entirely carbon-neutral across all sectors of the economy and establishing a goal to achieve a zero-carbon emissions electricity sector by 2040, faster than any other state. Additionally, the recently passed Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act mandates the Green New Deal’s national leading clean energy targets: nine gigawatts of offshore wind by 2035, six gigawatts of distributed solar by 2025, and three gigawatts of energy storage by 2030, while calling for an orderly and just transition to clean energy that creates jobs and continues fostering a green economy.

Today’s decision may be obtained by going to the Documents section of the Department of Public Services Web site at www.dps.ny.gov and entering Case Number 16-F-0328 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 1-800- 342-3377 for free language assistance services regarding this press release.