State regulators’ approval of 16 wind turbines in Sheffield has dispelled some developers’ worries that no big wind turbines would be approved on the state’s mountaintops.
It’s also offered them a guide through the state’s review process.
Experts say the lesson for developers from the UPC Wind project is to gain local support, sell electricity to Vermont utilities at a stable price and thoroughly review the environmental impacts of the wind towers.
They also say UPC’s willingness to address local and state concerns helped the project win approval.
UPC originally had proposed 26 turbines in Sheffield and Sutton but later scaled back the project, and agreed to protect bear habitat, study bird deaths, and to stop the turbines 120 nights a year to protect migrating bats.