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The (Syracuse, NY) February 16, 2003
Chris Iven Staff writer Electricity-generating plants
in Oswego County split atoms, harness the energy of rivers and burn
natural gas and oil.
By the end of this year, according to a developer, a new facility
in Oswego should produce electricity with a new energy source:
wind. That windmill would join a smaller 350-foot windmill
in Lake Ontario on the breakwater near Oswego this year, according to
Brian Braginton-Smith, vice president of project development for UPC.
Over the next few years, the company would like to place about 80
of the larger windmills farther offshore and as many as 20 of the
smaller versions on land near the lake.
"It will establish Oswego, New York, as a wind energy center,"
Braginton-Smith said.
And it will begin to establish the area as a center for other
renewable energy sources as well, according to Carolyn Rush, executive
director of the Center for Business and Community Programs at the State
University College at Oswego.
The college, less than a half-mile from the breakwater, had been
studying the advantages of placing its own windmills on campus for
several months when it learned of UPC's proposals, Rush said.
"When we heard about Brian's project, we expanded our thinking,"
said Rush, who also chairs the county's Industrial Development Agency. A
college task force has developed a proposal to create the Great Lakes
Renewable Energy Center, she said. The center would study wind energy as
well as solar energy, fuel cells and hydrogen fuel.
"The potential for this project is very, very exciting," Rush said.
General Electric, producer of the new large turbine, has been
looking for a site to test it offshore in the United States,
Braginton-Smith said. Two other partners, the city of Oswego and the
county Industrial Development Agency, have been looking for ways to boost
economic development in the area.
"It just turns out to be a synchronicity that all these entities
were thinking about how to become engaged in this arena," Braginton-Smith
said. "All of the players believe this is the right time, the right place
and that this is a very exciting opportunity."
Oswego Mayor John Gosek said he hopes the development can attract
jobs from companies that want to join in the renewable energy research.
"We're hoping that Oswego can be a national center, not just for
windmills, but for hydrogen cell development, solar and other
energy sources," Gosek said.
That may be possible, said L. Michael Treadwell, executive director
of Operation Oswego County, the county's designated economic development
agency.
"It would be a pilot project which would necessitate a lot of r and
d (research and development) activities," he said. "There's a lot of
potential and the potential keeps growing."
Braginton-Smith has already begun the site approval process. Last
week, he met with members of the Army Corps of Engineers, which manages
the breakwater.
"They were all very excited and were very supportive of the
concept," Braginton-Smith said. "There was a general consensus that this
shouldn't have any serious obstacles in front of it."
Assuming the approval process continues smoothly, the only major
hurdle is to gather the $6 million to $7 million needed to erect the first
two turbines. Braginton-Smith said he is not worried.
"If you know what you're doing, you can find money, but you can't
find local support if it isn't there," he said. "The main issue, in truth,
is in establishing the collaborative spirit that exists."
The strong winds that gather speed crossing Lake Ontario can bring
as much as 250 inches of snow to Oswego annually. Those winds, combined
with the county's existing electricity transmission infrastructure, make
it an ideal location for wind energy production, Braginton-Smith said.
"The city of Oswego, by virtue of its location, has the potential
to become a major center for Great Lake-based offshore renewable energy,"
he said. "Wind energy is just one of them."
In his recent state of the state address, Gov. George Pataki
announced a policy of supporting renewable energy projects. By 2013, he
wants 25 percent of all electricity produced in the state to come from
renewable sources.
That would require at least 2,000 megawatts of new capacity from
wind, solar or other renewable sources, according to Tom Collins,
spokesman for the New York State Energy Research and Development
Authority.
The greatest cost associated with making electricity with
windmills is in the structures, since the energy source, wind, is
free. Still, wind projects likely would not be profitable without
government incentives, Collins said.
State Sen. Jim Wright, chairman of the senate's energy committee,
said the Oswego windmill project should have little difficulty
winning economic assistance from the state.
"This is exactly what the governor envisions," Wright said.
In August, the Energy and Research Development Authority awarded
$17 million in economic incentives to five wind projects in the state
which, collectively, would create 315 megawatts of generating capacity.
While those windmills will produce no air pollution,
producing the same amount of electricity using fossil fuels would release
650 tons of nitrogen oxides, 1,300 tons of sulfur dioxide, and 400,000
tons of carbon dioxide.
Windmills placed offshore near Oswego County could have a
collective capacity of 300 megawatts, Braginton-Smith said. For the lake
as a whole, the number is in the thousands, he said. The cost of erecting
those offshore windmills would be between $390 million and $420
million, he said.
Even anglers have reason to be happy about the development,
Braginton-Smith said. The rocky footing the windmills require are
an ideal breeding ground for indigenous fish, he said.
Power House
Oswego County already produces more electricity than any other
county in the state. Although the county encompasses about 2 percent of
the state's land and 0.6 percent of its population, its electricity
producing capacity is 5,500 megawatts - nearly 16 percent of the state
total. The largest share of that capacity comes from the three nuclear
power plants on the Lake Ontario shoreline in Scriba. Collectively, the
plants have a generating capacity of more than 2,500 megawatts.
Windfall
Central New York and its economy would benefit from establishing a
renewable energy research center in Oswego, according to L. Michael
Treadwell, executive director of Operation Oswego County. Here are some
benefits on his list:
Construction jobs: Erecting the turbines takes skilled labor.
New jobs: The number of workers needed to maintain wind turbines is
small, but the positions would be high-paying. The project could also
create "spin-off" jobs in research and technical support.
More new jobs: If companies are to be required to purchase
electricity from renewable sources in the future, some companies may
decide to locate near those sources.
Retained jobs: The on-shore windmills envisioned as part of
the project can be linked with local industries. That could stabilize and
lower the energy costs for the industries, making them more competitive.
Good public relations: "It's going to help market the community as
being a little innovative," Treadwell said.
Tourism: "People do travel to visit and look at these wind turbine
projects," he said.
How tall will it be?
Proposed wind turbine 500 feet
Washington Monument 555 feet
Statue of Liberty 305 feet As the wind shifts in direction, the turbine turns to face
into the The
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