Work begins off Route 30 at sprawling wind farm site

Local News

Discussion

July 10, 2009

BY MIKE FAHER The Tribune-Democrat Fri Jul 10, 2009, 12:15 AM EDT

REELS CORNERS — Twelve miles of underground cable, 15 miles of new road and 35 towers standing more than 260 feet tall will add up to Somerset County’s newest wind farm.

Local officials and developers gathered Thursday on a breezy hilltop in eastern Somerset County to celebrate the start of construction at the Stony Creek wind-turbine property just off Route 30.

A crew of more than 200 is expected to have the site fully operational by year’s end.

“Within the next week, we’ll be erecting the turbines,” said Steve Trenholm, chief executive officer of E.ON Climate & Renewables, which is developing the project.

Stony Creek Wind Farm will consist of 35 General Electric turbines cranking out a total of 52.5 megawatts of power, enough juice for about 16,000 homes, Trenholm said.

The project has been in development for four years, in part because of its size and location.

The site, measuring 4,313 acres, will sprawl over three townships: Allegheny, Shade and Stonycreek. The latter municipality will host 28 of the turbines, with four in Allegheny and three in Shade.

E.ON is leasing property from 11 landowners to build the wind farm.

The fact that the company chose a refilled and reclaimed strip-mine site for its windmills drew praise from local officials. But that also made for “a lot of challenges” as developers took great pains to ensure the site’s viability, Trenholm said.

The main issue is stability: Installing towering turbines on 200 feet of fill is not the same as building a foundation on bedrock.

“It was a big challenge to come up with a foundation that we could afford, and one that still would support the turbines,” Trenholm said.

Developing a wind farm of this size is work-intensive, administrators said, and it’s not cheap.

They didn’t release exact figures, but said costs are estimated at $100 million to $150 million.

And there are substantial economic benefits for this area, since an estimated $17 million will be spent locally. Also, an operations staff will be working permanently at the site, though E.ON leaders could not yet say how many full-time workers will be required.

Somerset County is no stranger to wind power.

The county’s first turbines began turning in 2000 near Garrett, and the county’s two most-recently developed wind farms were dedicated earlier this year.

That mirrors the growth of the wind industry statewide, said John Hanger, state Department of Environmental Protection secretary.

In 1999, the state had no turbines.

A decade later, Pennsylvania is on the verge of hosting 14 wind farms.

“That’s starting to make a difference, a real difference at the statewide level,” Hanger said at the Stony Creek site. “We view this project as a very important step on a much bigger road.”

Wind turbines have attracted some local opposition lately. But Hanger and other officials extolled the virtues of the relatively clean, renewable energy source at Thursday’s gathering.

“I think it’s a great thing for Somerset County,” said John Vatavuk, county commissioner.

Text Only | Photo Reprints

Local News

Supreme Court explains rulings on redistricting
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court on Friday explained its reasons for rejecting the state’s legislative redistricting plan last week, and a justice who disagreed with the ruling said this year’s races will have to be held under the existing, decade-old maps.

February 3, 2012
In brief: Cresson man dies in pickup crash
A Cresson man who authorities believe lost consciousness while driving was killed late Friday afternoon when his pickup crashed on St. Joseph Street, about one mile north of Cresson.

February 3, 2012
Blogging with heart
I had a couple of interesting interviews over the past 24 hours. The first was with an ambitious Forest Hills High School junior who organized a Red Out across the district today in support of American Heart Association. Like many of those involved in Heart Association benefits, Spencer Ivock was inspired by his own family members' experience with heart disease.

February 3, 2012 1 Photo
Boil-water notice issued in Upper Yoder Township

A boil-water notice has been issued for a portion of Upper Yoder Township as crews work to repair a leak along Route 271.

February 3, 2012
No NDIC jobs to stay in city
After years of political clashes and fiscal uncertainty, these are the facts of the National Drug Intelligence Center’s final days:
• 87: The number of employees losing their jobs as NDIC operations wind down this year.
• 57: The number of staffers, aside from those 87, who will be offered jobs in Washington, D.C.
• Zero: The number of NDIC-related jobs that will remain in Johnstown.

February 2, 2012
Forest Hills junior puts his heart into Red Out
Forest Hills junior Spencer Ivock is “redding out” the schools today for his senior project.

February 2, 2012 1 Photo
Local pair accused of robbing home twice
A Johnstown couple has been charged with breaking into a Lower Yoder Township home twice in a four-month period – and then selling, for $103, some of the thousands of dollars in goods they alleged swiped.

February 2, 2012 2 Photos
Steel firm considers coal mine near Que
Cambria Somerset Authority officials plan to meet this week with representatives of an Ohio-based steel company about a plan that could put a coal mine south of the Quemahoning Reservoir.

February 2, 2012
In brief: Somerset motorist dies in crash
A 28-year-old Somerset man was killed Thursday morning when his vehicle left the road, hit a drainage ditch and rolled over.

February 2, 2012
Births 02/03/2012
February 2, 2012
More Local News Headlines

Local News

Search Results

Discussion

Work begins off Route 30 at sprawling wind farm site

Where will you watch the Super Bowl?

Contact Us