On June 3rd, 2020, the New York State Siting Board approved the $454 million Alle-Catt wind farm project. The 340-megawatts farm is the largest ever approved by the state consisting of 117 turbines spread over 30,000 acres of private lands in Allegany, Cattaraugus, and Wyoming counties. It will generate enough electricity to power 134,000 homes a year. It’s planned to start construction next year and be operational by the fourth quarter of 2022.
John Rhodes, chair of the state’s Public Service Commission and the Siting Board, said:
Our decision today to approve the largest wind farm to date will help reduce our dependence on fossil fuels.
The Alle-Catt Wind Farm will boost the local economies and create jobs, all while generating clean energy to meet New York’s growing electricity needs.
The owner and developer is an energy company based in Chicago called Invenergy. It said:
We are proud to contribute to the economic growth of our host communities in western New York while solidifying our state and national energy independence.
Invenergy has completed three energy projects in New York already. These include:
- Sheldon Wind Farm (Wyoming County) – 112.5 MW
- Orangeville Wind Farm (Wyoming County) – 94 MW
- Marsh Hill Wind Farm (Steuben County) – 16.2 MW
There’s another one in the works by Invenergy called Canisteo Wind, which was the previous largest wind farm in the state until the government approved The Alle-Catt Wind Farm. The 290-megawatts project will feature 117 wind turbines on 25,000 acres of privately leased land in Steuben County that create enough energy to power 113,000 homes a year. It will be operational by the third quarter of 2021.
All these projects, completed and under construction, inject millions of dollars into local economies and contribute to clean energy and no emissions for New Yorkers and the nation.
Speaking about Canisteo Wind Farm, the New York State Public Service Commission said:
Today’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.
Invenergy says it’s on a mission to continue developing other wind and solar farms across the state. It will surely help New York meet its ambitious 2030 targets to generate up to half of its electricity from renewable sources and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40%. Also, its long-term goal to reduce carbon emissions by 85% below 1990 levels by 2050.
