WIND FARM IS SPACED OUT

CAPE VINCENT — BP Wind Energy has reduced the size of its planned Cape Vincent Wind Farm to 84 towers.

When it submitted a draft environmental impact statement in December 2007, the project called for 140 turbines in the town. Under the supplemental draft environmental impact statement, submitted Feb. 10, the capacity of the project shrank from 210 megawatts to 134 megawatts, using 1.6-megawatt turbines.

BP evaluated project alternatives but "determined that a significant reduction in the Project's generating capacity would jeopardize its financial viability," the statement said. The developer reduced the number owing to the need for more spacing between turbines "to eliminate significant turbine noise impacts to residential structures within the site," the statement said.

But the developer designed the project allowing up to 50 decibels of audible noise at participating landowners' residences. The project is also designed to allow the turbines to generate at or below 48 decibels of audible noise on the property of nonparticipating landowners and at or below 47 decibels at nonparticipating residences.

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