ROTTERDAM — A Vermont wind energy company is in the very early stages of developing a wind farm in Schenectady County.
A site for a 79.2-megawatt wind farm is being studied in the towns of Rotterdam and Princetown by Reunion Power LLC of Manchester.
Steve Eisenberg, Reunion's managing director, said the company has not yet acquired land for the project, although a meteorological tower has been erected to collect data.
The 197-foot tower is located off Crawford Road in Pattersonville near the border of Rotterdam and Princetown.
"We're pursuing options and leases (on land)," Eisenberg said Monday.
A 79.2-megawatt wind farm would have between 30 and 50 wind turbines, depending on the size of the machines.
Such a development could power about 20,000 homes, although it's important to note that Reunion has not determined the actual size or scope of the project — or if it even plans to move forward.
"Like a lot of companies, we are pursuing the possibility of wind power in New York," Eisenberg said.
Reunion is also working to develop projects in Warren and Otsego counties. The Warren County project is a 30-megawatt wind farm proposed for north of Gore Mountain.
Eisenberg said Reunion has not submitted formal plans to the towns of Princetown or Rotterdam. The company has yet to decide if the project is feasible both in terms of the amount of wind available in the area and its economics.
The project has been dubbed Gateway Wind Energy, according to a filing made with the New York Independent System Operator, the East Greenbush nonprofit group that oversees the state's electrical grid.
The Reunion project is not the only Schenectady County wind project under consideration. General Electric Co. also is planning to erect a wind turbine in Schenectady at its GE Energy plant there. The two projects are not related.
Reunion is affiliated with Edison Mission Group, the fifth largest owner of wind energy projects in the United States, with 14 projects totaling 654 megawatts, the company says.
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