This past summer Tom Stebbins, project manager at the Fredonia Branch of Horizon Wind Energy approached the Pomfret Town Board to update the progress of a potential wind farm within the town. At that time Horizon was eying a start date sometime in 2010. ...Stebbins said Horizon has run into many wetlands in Arkwright, and accompanied with the newly fallen snow, has delayed operations there, backlogging farms next in line like Pomfret.
This past summer Tom Stebbins, project manager at the Fredonia Branch of Horizon Wind Energy approached the Pomfret Town Board to update the progress of a potential wind farm within the town. At that time Horizon was eying a start date sometime in 2010. ...Stebbins said Horizon has run into many wetlands in Arkwright, and accompanied with the newly fallen snow, has delayed operations there, backlogging farms next in line like Pomfret.
This past summer Tom Stebbins, project manager at the Fredonia Branch of Horizon Wind Energy approached the Pomfret Town Board to update the progress of a potential wind farm within the town. At that time Horizon was eying a start date sometime in 2010.
During a recent board meeting, Stebbins addressed the board during the public portion to talk about a few wind matters, one being the projected timeline.
"I think when I spoke to the board about six months ago we were looking at possibly starting in 2010. I would say right now it will be in 2011 and a more reasonable timetable, based on a lot of what we have found in Arkwright," he said.
Stebbins said Horizon has run into many wetlands in Arkwright, and accompanied with the newly …
... more [truncated due to possible copyright]This past summer Tom Stebbins, project manager at the Fredonia Branch of Horizon Wind Energy approached the Pomfret Town Board to update the progress of a potential wind farm within the town. At that time Horizon was eying a start date sometime in 2010.
During a recent board meeting, Stebbins addressed the board during the public portion to talk about a few wind matters, one being the projected timeline.
"I think when I spoke to the board about six months ago we were looking at possibly starting in 2010. I would say right now it will be in 2011 and a more reasonable timetable, based on a lot of what we have found in Arkwright," he said.
Stebbins said Horizon has run into many wetlands in Arkwright, and accompanied with the newly fallen snow, has delayed operations there, backlogging farms next in line like Pomfret. While on the subject of the Arkwright Wind Project, Pomfret Supervisor Donald Steger questioned the work being done on the substation for the project, which will be constructed within the town on Route 83 to connect into the main line on Route 60.
"Some of us on the board, the only thing we're concerned with are underground cables," Steger said. "We're concerned about the overhead power. We want them underground."
"Given the level of circuitry that you need for this kind of power, the power from the entire wind farm, it would be very difficult to run that underground," Stebbins replied. "The lines need to be a certain distance apart, it would have to be back-filled with non-conductive fill, and I'm not sure it would be possible to run that line underground."
Stebbins was hopeful the substation would not be under the purview of the town's wind law so that it could be treated like a regular building permit. According to Stebbins, the overhead line totals a distance of 3.5 miles running from Arkwright Hills Camp Ground to the point of interconnect, and there will be approximately four overhead cables.
"The land owners have agreed with overhead, and they've all consented to overhead lines and they are aware," Stebbins said. "The lines run underground until those lines are collected at the sub station and then it goes overhead."
Supervisor Steger said Stebbins will have to schedule a meeting with building inspector Warren Kelly regarding the sub station permit. Also, Stebbins presented an application for the construction of two MET towers within the town.