HERITAGE WIND PROJECT PROFILE
Apex Clean Energy submitted an Article 10 permit application for Heritage Wind in March 2020. The project was then transferred to the new Article 94-c permitting process in January 2021. The project received its Final Permit from the Office of Renewable Energy Siting (ORES) on January 13, 2022 and a Modified Permit on April 15, 2024. The Project filed a Minor Modification request with ORES on May 29, 2024. The project intends to start construction in fall of 2025 and be operational by the end of 2027.
Many of the details about the proposed Heritage Wind project are included in the ORES docket, including the proposed turbine layout, turbine models being considered, and the economic benefits of the project for the local community. Physical copies of materials can be found at:
- The Barre Town Hall (4317 West Barre Rd, Albion, NY 14411)
- Hoag Library (134 South Main Street, Albion, NY 14411)
PROJECT BENEFITS
Heritage Wind will provide help address New York's growing electricity demand with clean, homegrown energy, while diversifying the local economy and supporting jobs in the community. Some of the project's many community benefits include:
New Revenue for Local Schools, County, and Town Government – Over $35 million
Heritage Wind will generate an entirely new source of long-term revenue for the local school district, Orleans County, and the Town of Barre. The project has entered into a Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) agreement with local taxing jurisdictions and a Host Community Agreement (HCA) with the town. Payments under these agreements are expected to total about $1.5 million per year. Over the project's lifetime:
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The Town of Barre will receive over $27 million (approved Host Community Agreement)
- Orleans County, NY will receive over $4.7 million (approved Payment-in-Lieu-of-Taxes (PILOT) Agreement)
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The Albion Central School District will receive over $4.7 million (approved Payment-in-Lieu-of-Taxes (PILOT) Agreement
Guaranteed Income for American Farmers & Landowners – Over $44 million
Landowners with wind facilities on their property will receive annual lease payments. These payments would continue over the projected 30-year lifespan of the wind farm, injecting millions of dollars into the economies of Barre and Orleans County, allowing participating landowners to invest in their farm operations or spend with local businesses.
Wind energy has extremely low impacts on farm operations, with each wind turbine requiring less than half an acre of land.
Payments to participating landowners hosting facilities on their land and other participating neighbors will total over $44 million over 30 years.
Over 200 Construction Jobs for American Workers
During construction, the Heritage Wind project will employ over 200 skilled workers in the building and construction trades, paying over $19 Million in wages.
Long-term Local Jobs for Operations
Operations and maintenance of the project is expected to create up to 8 full time jobs for New Yorkers, with annual earnings of approximately $800,000.
$1,500 in Energy Bill Savings for Every Barre Household
Through NYSERDA's Host Community Benefit Program, Heritage Wind will contribute over $1.2 million towards electricity bill discounts for every household in the Town of Barre. Through the program, each Barre household will see savings of over $150 per year or $1,500 over the 10-year length of the discount program.
Download our handout to learn more about this program.
Supporting Orleans County through the Heritage Wind Community Grant Program
Throughout the Project’s development, the Heritage Wind Community Grant Program has supported community organizations in the Town of Barre and throughout Orleans County. The program focuses its support towards community organizations working on public health and safety, economic development, environmental sustainability, and education. Since its inception, Heritage Wind has provided more than $110,000 in funding to support community causes in the Project area.
Generating enough homegrown clean energy to power more than 30,000 average New York homes
The power from Heritage Wind would be delivered into the New York electrical grid, which is managed by the New York ISO (NYISO).
WHY BARRE?
Barre has a good wind resource, and we believe that a wind energy project would both complement existing energy infrastructure and offer additional benefit to the community.
Barre’s wind, electrical transmission lines, and open land make it an attractive location for a responsible wind energy project. The town’s history of power production further supports this use. If built, the wind farm will create jobs and generate new sources of long-term revenue for the project’s host communities and landowners. Heritage Wind could have a capacity of up to 126 MW, producing enough energy to power more than 30,000 homes every year. Representing a private investment in the hundreds of millions of dollars, Heritage Wind would benefit the economy of Orleans Counties in the near term with construction jobs and local purchasing of materials and services. In the long term, the project promises to bring sustained municipal revenues to communities, local government, and the region, as well as decades of local purchasing, employment, and investment.
The Town of Barre was selected to explore after thorough examination of many candidate sites for the following reasons:
- Verified wind resource
- Existing high-voltage power lines
- Expansive private land and interested landowners
- Proximity to state highways