The New York Board on Electric Generation Siting and the Environment last week approved a 126-MW wind farm to be built and operated by EverPower Wind in the state’s westernmost county.

The Cassadaga Wind project will occupy about 77 acres in Chautauqua County and consist of up to 48 high-capacity, 500-foot-tall wind turbines. The wind farm would interconnect to the state’s electrical grid along the 115-kV Dunkirk-Moon transmission line.

EverPower had proposed installing up to 62 turbines but lowered the number during the public review process, which included opposition comments from Amish residents and local equestrians. Many Amish do not use electricity from the grid, and the equestrians argued that siting huge wind turbines near their riding trails could spook horses, potentially injuring both animals and riders.

In May 2016, EverPower was the first company to apply for a siting certificate from the multiagency Siting Board, which was established under the Power NY Act of 2011 to streamline the permitting process for power plants 25 MW or greater. John B. Rhodes, chair of the Public Service Commission, also chairs the board.

The board said that the wind farm will improve fuel diversity, grid reliability and modernization of grid infrastructure, as well as benefit the host communities. The developer said the new wind farm will create “nearly 470 construction and full-time jobs with an annual payroll of more than $80 million, while paying more than $10 million to local governments and school districts over a 20-year period.”

— Michael Kuser