First Wind, an independent U.S.-based wind energy company, celebrated the completion of its Steel Winds II expansion. U.S. Rep. Brian Higgins, D-Buffalo, and other local leaders joined First Wind officials for a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the project site, which was built on the shores of Lake Erie on the abandoned Bethlehem Steel mill site. With Steel Winds II now in commercial operations, the 35 MW cumulative Steel Winds project will have the capacity to generate enough clean electricity to power approximately 9,000 New York homes—and help bring the state closer to its goal of 30 percent renewable energy sources by 2015.
“Fifty years ago Western New York set ourselves apart by taking advantage of our natural resources and building the Niagara Power Project,” said Congressman Higgins. “Today, with the addition and expansion of Steel Winds we again demonstrate our ability to embrace the regions’ unique characteristics and harness the power of the wind to create clean energy. Here, on land at the water’s edge that has sat dormant for too long, we again have people working as we take what was old and make it new again to build a stronger tomorrow.”
Steel Winds harnesses the famed winds of the Great Lakes region, revitalizing local pride in a site that had been forgotten and neglected since Bethlehem Steel’s closure in the early 1980’s. Economically, the Steel Winds II project will provide a source of significant revenue by adding an average of $190,000 in annual tax revenue to the surrounding communities and school districts. First Wind also makes $100,000 annual voluntary payments to the cities of Hamburg and Lackawanna’s general funds.
“The Steel Winds project demonstrates that business can be innovative and successful when given the opportunity,” said Hamburg Town Supervisor Steven Walters. “To return a long vacant Brownfield back into a productive piece of property is something everyone should be excited about. We are very proud to be part of this project with Steel Winds to bring clean wind energy to Erie County.”
“Green energy is not just a trend of current times, it must be the trend for the future of civilization,” said Lackawanna Mayor Geoffrey Szymanski “I am honored to have Lackawanna continuing the trend of the utilization of natural energy while working with First Wind and the expansion of Steel Winds project. They have restored beauty to our waterfront and brought international notoriety for the creative use of turning a brownfield into a Greenfield.”