December 15, 2007

Steel Winds Project, Lackawanna, New York

Dr. Robert Peltier, PE

The City of Lackawanna, located on the shore of Lake Erie just south of Buffalo, New York, was the center of steel production in the region in the early 20th century. Bethlehem Steel’s plant eventually grew to become the fourth-largest plant of its kind in the world. In the second half of the 20th century, the city enjoyed boom years, but they were followed by a slow decline that culminated with the plant closing its doors in the mid-1980s. The remaining “Rust Belt” reminds visitors and residents alike of the environmental costs of steel-making, especially since the area was designated a Superfund site.

 

A 2002 change in environmental laws gave the city and developers immunity from the costs of remediating the site—costs that had stymied redevelopment of the planned 1,600-acre site for public use under the New York Department of Environmental Conservation Brownfield Cleanup Program. The 30-acre parcel that was selected for a wind project was more steel slag than soil—even though it was on the banks of Lake Erie.

Developing this project on a previously industrial site had two advantages: The old roads could be reused, as could the old power lines to the mill, which are used to push power back into the New York Independent System Operator grid for sale to retail customers.

Construction of Steel Winds began in September 2006, six months after the EPA declared the site clean enough to be removed from its Superfund list. Today, the stark contrast of eight white turbines standing amid the remnants of abandoned factories juxtaposes the area’s past with its hopes for the future (Figure 1).

 

 

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