Buzzards Bay wind farm proposed

NEW BEDFORD - In a proposal that would dramatically change the appearance of Buzzards Bay, a Boston developer wants to build a $750 million offshore wind farm comprising 90 to 120 turbines on the ecologically sensitive waterway.

Windmills 407 feet high would be planted in three areas of the bay if Patriot Renewables LLC - a renewable energy subsidiary of Jay Cashman Inc. - can win the numerous approvals needed for the mega-project.

The proposed sites are about three to four miles off the coast of Sconticut Neck in Fairhaven, Barneys Joy in Dartmouth and Naushon Island, one of the Elizabeth Islands. An estimated 30 to 40 turbines would be erected at each of the three sites.

The locations of the turbines, which would generate an annual total of about 300 megawatts of power, are subject to change based on feedback from the public and other stakeholders, company president Jay Cashman told The Standard-Times during an editorial board meeting yesterday.

''The success of the project depends on it truly being a community effort,'' he said.

Cashman said it is premature to estimate how much of the region could be supplied with power from the turbines. He estimated the wind farm would generate enough power for half of Cape Cod. The previously proposed Cape Wind project would produce 420 megawatts, enough for 75 percent of the Cape.

The electricity would be linked to the overall Massachusetts power grid and not directed to a specific community.

Cashman's company plans to file an environmental notification form on Friday with the Massachusetts Executive Office of Environmental Affairs.

If all goes well with the permitting and building processes, the South Coast Offshore Wind Project could be completed within five years, said Cashman, who lives in West Falmouth.

He said that Buzzards Bay is an ideal site for an offshore wind project because of its average annual wind speed of 20 mph, its sheltered location with a water depth of no more than 50 feet and its proximity to existing transmission lines.

''You need wind, you need 50 feet of water or less and connectivity,'' Cashman said.

Proposed connection sites include the former NStar site on Pine Street in New Bedford and the Fairhaven wastewater treatment plant on Arsene Street.

With gas prices soaring and conclusive evidence linking the burning of fossil fuels to global warming, the time is ripe to invest in wind energy, Cashman said.

According to company documents, the proposed wind turbines would be spaced 1,500 to 2,000 feet apart - about the length of 5½ football fields. The turbine towers would be tubular and made of steel. A single rotor blade would measure 60 feet in length and be constructed of fiberglass-reinforced polyester or wood-epoxy. Rotors would have about a 270-foot span.

Patriot Renewables, the Cashman subsidiary, plans to work closely with the Massachusetts Audubon Society to protect the endangered roseate terns and other birds that nest in the region, Cashman said. The company also will collaborate with the Coast Guard to site the wind turbines away from shipping channels and outfit them with navigational lighting and fog horns to protect commercial and recreational vessels.

Asked if he fears opposition from Republican Gov. Mitt Romney and Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., Cashman said he hopes they ''look at our project fairly. It'll be interesting to see how they react.''

Both politicians have taken a strong position against Cape Wind, a proposed 420-megawatt offshore wind farm in Nantucket Sound. Sen. John F. Kerry, D-Mass., has yet to take a position on the proposal to build 130 wind turbines off the Cape Cod coast.

Patriot Renewables has made a bid to help with the construction of Cape Wind, Cashman said. The company may consider partners for its South Coast Offshore Wind Project to spread out the risk, he said.

South Coast Wind could bring an estimated 200 to 300 construction jobs and 20 to 30 maintenance jobs to the New Bedford area, according to its proposal.

The company aims to reduce the cost of electricity for regional communities, said C. Trevor Childs, a business development officer for Jay Cashman Inc.

Patriot Renewables recently installed a wind turbine generator on the campus of Massachusetts Maritime Academy in Buzzards Bay, Childs said.

The academy's turbine is expected to generate 25 percent of the school's power needs. That represents about $200,000 each year in electricity bills, he said.