Wind turbines in Colebrook

COLEBROOK — A West Hartford company is developing what could be the state’s first wind farm.

BNE Energy Inc. is proposing the construction of six 328-foot wind turbines on two pieces of land in town.

According to BNE spokesman Paul Corey, the company plans to construct three wind turbines on 80 acres of property on 29 Flagg Hill Road, while the other three would be constructed on 125 acres of property at the corner of Route 44 and Rock Hall Road.

While BNE Energy owns the Flagg Hill property, the Rock Hall Road property is privately owned and will be leased by the company.

“There is only a handful of homes on both roads, and we don’t think it will have a substantial impact to other people’s properties,� Corey said. “We think that the impact of the wind turbines will be positive. Wind farms are a good way to provide renewable energy. The projects will also preserve a vast amount of both properties and keep it in its natural state, as opposed to a residential development, which would have a greater impact on the land. We will only use a small amount of acreage for the turbines.�

Corey said once both turbine projects are completed, the company will be the largest taxpayer in the town, paying 10 percent of the town’s current budget.

However, the turbines will not be directly used for Colebrook residents’ energy needs. Instead, Corey said, the energy produced by the turbines will go into an electrical grid for use by electric customers throughout New England.

“This will have a positive impact on customers’ electric rates,� he said. “It’s too difficult to say how much of an impact. It’s important to add renewable energy throughout the state and throughout New England. The more wind power comes online, the more positive impact it will have.�

Corey said the company filed petitions for the project with the Connecticut Siting Council this week.

From there, the council will have six months to decide whether or not the projects will go forward. Corey said he expects the council to schedule public hearings on the project, but that has not yet been done.

He added that the company expects the council to approve the projects and that both projects should be up and running by next year.

Latest News

Tuning up two passions under one roof

The Webb Family in the workshop. From left: Phyllis, Dale, Ben and Josh Webb, and project manager Hannah Schiffer.

Natalia Zukerman

Magic Fluke Ukulele Shop and True Wheels Bicycle Shop are not only under the same roof in a beautiful solar powered building on Route 7 in Sheffield, but they are also both run by the Webb family, telling a tale of familial passion, innovation and a steadfast commitment to sustainability.

In the late ‘90s, Dale Webb was working in engineering and product design at a corporate job. “I took up instrument manufacturing as a fun challenge,” said Dale. After an exhibit at The National Association of Music Merchants in Anaheim, California, in 1999, The Magic Fluke company was born. “We were casting finger boards and gluing these things together in our basement in New Hartford and it just took off,” Dale explained. “It was really a wild ride, it kind of had a life of its own.”

Keep ReadingShow less
Robert Cray’s soulful blues coming to Infinity Hall

Robert Cray

Photo provided

Blues legend Robert Cray will be bringing his stinging, funky guitar and soulful singing to Infinity Hall Norfolk on Friday, March 29.

A five-time Grammy winner, Cray has been inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame and earned The Americana Music Awards Lifetime Achievement for Performance. He has played with blues and rock icons including Albert Collins, Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, The Rolling Stones, Tina Turner, Eric Clapton and many more.

Keep ReadingShow less