Design and Construction Report staff writer
The New York State Office of Renewable Energy Siting and Electric Transmission (ORES) has issued final siting permits to AES Clean Power for three renewable energy projects in upstate New York, clearing the way for construction across Clinton, Jefferson and Lewis counties.
The approved projects include Altona Wind and Clinton Wind in Clinton County, and Sugar Maple Solar in the towns of Croghan in Lewis County and Wilna in Jefferson County. Combined, the projects are expected to deliver 343 megawatts of renewable energy capacity to the state grid.
The developments are expected to generate about 550 construction jobs and 25 permanent operations positions, with developers indicating they will seek to hire locally where possible.
The wind projects involve repowering existing facilities that have reached the end of their service life. After decommissioning, the sites will be rebuilt with fewer but more efficient turbines, increasing overall capacity while reducing the number of units on site.
Clinton Wind is expected to reach commercial operation in 2028, followed by Altona Wind in 2029.
The Sugar Maple Solar project will include solar arrays, access roads, fencing, landscaping, buried and overhead collection lines, a 20-megawatt battery energy storage system and interconnection infrastructure tied into existing National Grid transmission lines.
Developers estimate the three facilities will generate enough electricity to power about 60,000 homes and offset more than 500,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually.
During the permitting process, project designs were revised to reduce impacts, including limiting above-ground transmission lines, reducing tree clearing and adding landscaping buffers. The solar project also includes agricultural co-utilization across its 622-acre fenced footprint.
Union representatives said the projects will support skilled trades work across the region and help sustain apprenticeship training pipelines for electrical and construction workers.
With the approvals, ORES has now permitted 35 large-scale wind and solar projects, representing more than 5.1 gigawatts of renewable energy capacity across New York State.
