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 2024 and be operational by the end of 2026.

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

14317 West Barre Rd, Albion, NY 14411

Hoag Library 

134 South Main Street, Albion, NY 14411

The Heritage Wind project would provide an opportunity to help address New York's growing electricity demand with clean, homegrown energy, while diversifying Orleans County's economy and supporting jobs in the local community.

PROJECT SUMMARY

  • Located in the Town of Barre, Orleans County, New York
  • Enough power for over 30,000 U.S. homes (Up to 173.6 MW)
  • Power would be delivered into the New York electrical grid
  • Hundreds of jobs and significant local spending during construction
  • Estimated 6 full-time local jobs for operations and maintenance
  • Taxpayers protected against decommissioning costs
  • 30 years of annual revenue for county and local landowners, totaling millions of dollars
  • Each wind turbine typically requires less than half an acre of land
  • Existing high-voltage power lines and highways would limit the need for new infrastructure
  • Would represent a significant investment in local economy with revenues for farmers, local government, and schools

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 173.6 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

Landowners who host turbines on their property and other participating landowners would receive annual lease payments. These payments would continue over the projected 30-year lifespan of the wind farm, injecting millions of dollars into the economy of Orleans County to support local merchants, contractors, and equipment suppliers.