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Babylon Town wants more dialogue on wind farm proposal After Babylon Town officials have consistently raised concerns about the costs of the Long Island Power Authorities wind farm project and its impact on energy rates on Long Island, the board voted on a resolution this week asking LIPA to release a full financial report on the project. "Only then will Long Islanders be able to make fundamental comparisons between this project and other energy alternatives," said Babylon Town Supervisor Steve Bellone. "It is time for LIPA to come clean on this information, which is critical moving forward with an honest dialogue on the issue." LIPA's wind farm project calls for putting up 40 wind turbines off the South Shore, a project that is currently undergoing a controversial environmental review. Opponents believe that the project will not be cost effective, and have negative environmental and economic impacts on the region. LIPA and proponents say that while it is not the total answer to Long Island's energy needs, the wind farm is a step in the right direction and will help reduce reliance upon foreign oil. The Town resolution was placed on this week's agenda two weeks ago following a presentation to the board on a feasibility study about repowering KeySpan's plants to meet future energy needs. The study was completed by the Center for Management Analysis at Long Island University's C.W. Post Campus. According to the study, presented by Dr. Matthew C. Cordaro, the repowering or modernizing KeySpan's existing steam electric units represents one of the best options for satisfying Long Island's future energy needs. It would produce significantly more energy than the wind farm with estimates of an additional 4,200 megawatts, and improve air quality by reducing the emission of greenhouse gases. The wind farm proposal is projected to produce 149 additional megawatts during the fall and winter months, enough to provide energy for 44,000 homes. LIPA officials said that the study by Cordaro, a former senior director for the Shoreham Nuclear Power Plant, is flawed and that the anticipated energy from repowering are inaccurate. "In addition, LIPA does not own the Northprot and Port Jefferson power plants," said William Cunningham, a spokesman for LIPA. "and there isn't enough physical room to repower those plants, which requires considerable additional space." "We need to clean up existing plants; need to extend their life and we need to reduce amount of pollutants emitted at the existing facilities," Cordaro told the Town Board. The report concluded that repowering the plants is the best option available, since it offers a greater new source of energy while addressing environmental issues. "No other alternate source of electricity for this region could achieve this," the report states. "It should be imperative that it become the highest priority in the development of any electric supply strategy for Long Island, but to this point in time this has not been the case." Currently LIPA can produce 6,100 megawatts a day, up from 5,000 three years ago. LIPA estimates, however that by 2010, that demand will increase to 7,500 megawatts a day, and maintains that the wind farm, while not the total answer to Long Island's energy needs, is an option that helps to reduce our reliance on foreign oil. The problem is, said Cordaro, that LIPA ratepayers cannot afford to do both. "Long Island cannot repower and build a wind farm at the same time," said Cordaro. "We cannot afford the expense of both and we cannot afford to move forward with a project that may sound good and appear good from an environmenby tal standpoint without a full financial review." He added that Chairman Kessel has been a master at framing the argument that if you are opposed to this project you are against the environment. "That is a false choice," he said. "There is a better alternative." "What we are facing is a lot of missing information needed to make a rational decision," said Bellone who again called upon LIPA for a full financial accounting of the project.
That will be forthcoming. as soon as LIPA and Florida Power and Light completes its cost-analysis studies, said Cunningham.
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