YOUNGSTOWN — Eight U.S states and two Canadian provinces are racing to be the first to tap into the vast wind energy present in the Great Lakes, a race New York Power Authority Chairman Richard Kessel believes New York can win — with the help of Niagara County.

The Power Authority is hoping to place hundreds of wind-generating turbines in the waters just off Lake Ontario’s Niagara County shoreline, to capitalize on the nation’s most productive wind region in the eastern United States.

In less than five years, NYPA, through its Great Lakes Offshore Wind Project, hopes to generate between 120 and 500 megawatts of power by installing up to 166, 420-foot-tall wind turbines off the shores of Lake Ontario, Lake Erie or both. As proposed, the turbines will be twice as tall as Niagara Falls’ Giacomo.

The $1 billion project would place the turbines approximately 21⁄2 miles off shore and could meet the energy demands of up to 615,000 New Yorkers and quell the state’s dependency on coal and oil producing power plants.

At a closed-door meeting last week, local and state officials met with county residents and heard concerns over the project,  including the impact on fish, birds and wildlife and whether the project would actually create jobs in Western New York and lower energy rates in Niagara County.

Kessel said the concerns aired did not fall on deaf ears.

“We would never place the wind project in a community where it is unwanted,” Kessel said. “But we do need an informed public.”

Information is just what Youngstown resident Terry L. Yonker is looking to provide.

Consult an expert

Yonker, an environmental consultant, is the co-chairman of the Great Lakes Wind Collaborative, a multi-sector coalition of wind energy stakeholders representing all eight Great Lakes states and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. He said the collaborative is working to facilitate the sustainable development of wind power in the Great Lakes region.

“Our role is to look at the development of wind and to ensure it is done in an economically and environmentally sustainable manner,” Yonker told the Gazette. “The potential to benefit from the exploitation of wind energy is coming over the great lakes like a wave and the question is not if, but when will wind turbines be constructed.”

Yonker said the 42 million people that reside within the watershed of the Great Lakes generate about 100 gigawatts of electric power at any one time, half of which is generated by coal power plants, the other half is generated by a combination of nuclear, gas, hydro or oil.

“The wind resource over the Great Lakes is somewhere in the range of 300 gigawatts, meaning we can satisfy all of our electrical needs through wind energy — if we are willing to spend a lot of money,” Yonker said. “But we could eliminate our dependency on fossil fuels.”

Yonker said ideally NYPA would like to construct wind farms that do not conflict with shipping lanes, are in between 50 and 100 feet of water, near onshore electrical transmissions and are in areas consistently producing the required amount of wind. The turbines would be white, with several red blinking lights to warn both boaters and airplanes of their presence. According to a map on NYPA’s Web site, the wind farm in Niagara County would extend from Youngstown, just in front of Fort Niagara all the way to Wilson.

Yonker said the windmills would be built at a safe distance from the shoreline, in an effort to appease property owners, who may find the windmills unsightly as well as lessening the impact on migrating birds who use the shorelines as a part of historic flight patterns.

Kessel agreed with Yonker that the project would help to lessen the statewide dependency on carbon-emitting power producers and wind energy falls in line with a new NYPA initiative.

“This project meets the Power Authority’s three “E” initiative— Energy, Environment and Economic Development,” Kessel told the Niagara Gazette. “If New York gets into the Great Lakes first, we will all begin to see the economic development potential, Western New York could become the center of the manufacturing for the offshore wind projects and the other states are going to follow us and look to Niagara County for resources.”

Yonker said as municipalities, communities and power producers begin to understand the potential impact of a wind energy project, the result could be an exponential shift to wind energy.

“Agencies in Michigan, Ohio and Ontario are racing to be the first in the water on this Great Lakes wind project, because there is a great realization of the potential tremendous economic impact that could be available,” Yonker said.

Jobs blowing In?

While there is little debate into the potential power production of the wind project, or the financial resources of NYPA, residents and politicians expressed their concerns over job creation last week — at a meeting which Kessel said NYPA was kept out of for the political gain of State Sen. George Maziarz. He said Maziarz has done little to retain or create jobs in Niagara County, which NYPA has done time and time again.

“I will match my record of economic development with that of Sen. Maziarz any day,” Kessel said. “How many jobs has Sen. Maziarz brought to Western New York? We (NYPA) brought Yahoo to Lockport, we have created and retained hundreds of thousands of jobs. Sen. Maziarz only wants people to hear his conclusions.”

According to Kessel the Great Lakes Offshore Wind Project’s request for proposal would give preference to developers that would not only use local laborers, but also local manufacturers in construction of the turbines. He estimated the project could create at least 1,000 jobs in Niagara and Erie counties.

“A windmill contains 8,000 parts, there are motors, wires, computer chips all of which I believe will be made in Western New York,” Kessel said. “NYPA has shown a strong commitment to Niagara County and Western New York and Sen. Maziarz is placating the public by excluding NYPA from any discussions or meetings and it strikes a negative cord in my eyes.”

At last week’s meeting, Maziarz criticized Kessel calling him a “carnival barker” making false promises to residents in Niagara County for jobs that will be handed out to out-of-state or out-of-country contractors. Now, Maziarz said Kessel is hiding something.

“Quite frankly I am the only person in Niagara County holding the Power Authority accountable,” Maziarz said. “Why won’t NYPA release any information from its (request for proposals)? Why won’t NYPA release an executive summary of the bids? What is Rich Kessel trying to hide?”

Maziarz said he is looking for transparency from the Power Authority and is tired of Kessel catering to his downstate “buddies.”

“I can’t understand how we pay the second highest electric rates in the United States, or why (Kessel) has sent more (free or reduced rate) power to his buddies on Long Island,” Maziarz said.

NYPA’s attempts in Central New York to establish offshore wind power have been quelled as local governments in the counties of Wayne, Jefferson and Oswego have formally adopted resolutions opposing the construction of offshore wind farms. One county in New York state has supported NYPA’s proposal — Niagara County, a decision which County Legislator Clyde Burmaster, R-Ransomville, hopes to reverse at its next meeting.

The previous resolution adopted by the legislature in May offered assistance to the Power Authority from the Niagara County Industrial Development Agency in terms of tax breaks and financial incentives.

Boating, Fishing and Costs

Kessel said NYPA would likely enter into a power purchasing agreement with the offshore developers, which could mean the Power Authority will pay a premium for wind generated from the offshore wind project. While Kessel admitted those costs would be passed on to the rate payer, he said it would be, on average, a few cents added on to each bill.

He said the Power Authority would likely enter into a 20-year agreement with the wind farm contractors, but in the event the agreement isn’t favorable, NYPA is willing to assume control of the wind mills.

In terms of boating and fishing, Yonker said state and federal agencies including the U.S Coast Guard, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Environmental Conservation and others are affiliated with the Great Lakes Wind Collaborative and would have to issue permits and decisions regarding potential locations of the offshore project.

Yonker said there is little data which suggests wind turbines impact fish migrations or reproduction, but could potentially impact fishing hotspots, where charter boat captains or fishermen frequent.

Yonker said he is unaware of any offshore wind farms worldwide which impose boating restrictions around the wind turbines, but the ultimate decision would likely be made by the coast guard.

“Boating and fishing are sensitive issues here in Niagara County, I know, I am a member of the (Youngstown) Yacht Club,” Yonker said. “People depend on these waters to make a living, for pleasure or for sport and it is my opinion that no turbines would be built in a location that hinders that.”

While Kessel said the project will not be forced in a community it is unwanted, the decision on location ultimately rests on the contractors who submit bids and the Power Authority Board of Trustees.

“The race is on, wind energy is imminent if not by the Power Authority, by some (other) agency and there is very little that the public can do to effect the decision making process,” Yonker said.