New York Regulator Reaffirms Decision Approving Calpine’s 124-Megawatt Wind Project

The New York State Board on Electric Generation Siting and the Environment on April 9 denied petitions seeking rehearing of the agency’s December 2019 decision permitting Bluestone Wind LLC to construct a 124-megawatt wind energy project in Broome County. Petitioners challenged the factual and legal findings of the board with regard to the project’s impact on eagles and its compliance with state law.

The board reaffirmed its earlier decision as appropriate based on the extensive record in the proceedings and submissions by parties. In its December decision, the agency conditionally authorized Bluestone Wind to construct and operate a utility-scale wind energy project. In January, the Delaware-Otsego Audubon Society Inc., the Broome County Concerned Residents, and a resident of the Village of Johnson City filed separate petitions alleging that the board committed errors of fact and law in making the decision.

The utility-scale project would include up to 33 wind turbines and a 10-megawatt battery storage system. The project proposes to deliver power into the New York Independent System Operator’s transmission system. Bluestone Wind is a subsidiary of Calpine Corporation.