Critics rip costs of proposed wind farm

Maria Fazio is not particularly keen on the image of dozens of towering wind turbines off the coast at Jones Beach, but what raised the Bellmore resident's temperature yesterday was their potential impact on her energy bill.

"I'm not in favor of my energy bill going up at all," said Fazio, already concerned that Long Island's rates are among the "highest in the nation."

Fazio's gripe with the proposed off-shore wind farm was the subject of a high-level call for the Long Island Power Authority to cease pursuit of the project by two state senators and an energy expert at a news conference on the boardwalk yesterday.

All three called on LIPA to instead spend the estimated $700 million in projected construction costs for the 40-turbine farm on projects such as commercial solar installations, solar panels for ratepayers' homes, or overhauling the region's antiquated fossil-fuel power plants.

"They could use this money to retrofit plants in Port Jefferson and Northport, make them more efficient and less polluting," Sen. Owen Johnson (R-West Babylon) said.

Sen. Charles J. Fuschillo Jr. (R-Merrick) expressed concern that the cost figure, which has nearly doubled since the winning bid of $356 million three years ago, won't stop at $700 million.

"I'm estimating this project will be nearly $1 billion by the time it's said and done," Fuschillo said. "That's too high. We collectively say, 'Enough.'" He called on LIPA chairman Kevin Law to shelve the project.

Yesterday Law said, "I share Chuck's concerns with the costs of this project and look forward to discussing it with him soon."

Fuschillo and others at the gathering stressed that a stand against the project was not a stance against wind power, or renewable energy. "While I really believe that renewable energy sources have to be part of our future, they have to be economically feasible, and I don't believe this project will be," he said.

LIPA has commissioned a study examining the costs of the project and contrasting them with other such projects around the globe. LIPA chief executive Richard Kessel on Wednesday said he respected the senators' comments on the matter and believed the study would examine some of the issues. It's due out in coming weeks.

An energy expert agreed with Johnson's assessment that retooling local power plants is a better way to go.

"There's no way this wind project can beat even a modest repowering," said Matthew Cordaro, acting dean of the College of Business at Long Island University. He noted that even if the wind farm were built, stability of the power grid would require traditional power plants because of the intermittent nature of wind energy.

"Any level of common sense will say this project cannot go forward," Cordaro said.

Kessel has said the project is essential for reducing the region's reliance on plants that create greenhouse gases that lead to global warming, and he has rejected the idea that the turbines constitute an eyesore. Johnson and Fuschillo said aesthetic concerns were not a part of their decision to oppose the project, which they said were prompted by reports of the escalating costs.