Glebe Mountain Wind Energy, LLC (comprised of Catamount Energy Corporation and Marubeni Power International, Inc.), is submitting a proposal to construct a 47.5 megawatt wind energy facility on Glebe Mountain. This facility would have 19 wind turbines, each with a total height of approximately 420 feet. The towers would follow much of the ridgeline between Londonderry and Windham and would extend over 3.7 miles. Land owned by Magic Mountain on the far north side of the ridgeline, and Ronald McGraw who owns about 3500 acres strategically along the ridgeline and down to both Route 11 and Under The Mountain Road would benefit from lease arrangement.

This is a $60 million electric generating plant sitting on the most prominent and dominant natural feature in our area.

Power produced by the project would be sold outside the Londonderry region. Only municipal taxes would be paid to Londonderry. The towers would be lighted according to FAA regulations.

TURBINE INFO PROVIDED BY CATAMOUNT-MARUBENI:
 

• Nineteen 2.5MW turbine (make not specified*)
• Blade diameter 315 ft (Since blades can rotate in any direction, the footprint of each turbine is a 315 foot circle.)
• Blade length = 153’
• Swept area = 77.931 sq ft (1.79 acres) = almost 2 football fields (each football field is approximately 1 acre)
• Hub Height = 262’
• Total height = 420’
• Current FAA requirements =  Two flashing dual beacons (red at night, white during the day) at 280’ above ground, per turbine
• Foundation – Concrete and rebar “spread footing mass foundation” – size not specified

(Note: When blades turn 15.3 times per minute, tip speed is 172 miles per hour).
*See below for comparison data on GE 2.5xl turbines
 
LAND DISTURBANCE INFO PROVIDED BY CATAMOUNT-MARUBENI: 

• “Project area” or area along ridgeline = 1200 feet x 3.7 miles (538 acres)
• Finished access and service roads are 35 feet wide during construction, 16 feet wide after construction
• Transmission line area  = 5.8 miles with 50 ft easement
• At least 42 acres cleared for 19 turbines “depending on existing terrain”
• Approximately 80 acres cleared for service roadway of which 65 would require “earth disturbance.”

OPERATION PERSONNEL 

• “The proposed substation has been designed as an unstaffed facility”
• 4 – 6 Operations & Maintenance persons for on-call operation (NOTE: One on-call position 24/7 with 40 hour/week shifts = 4.2 jobs)

STATED BENEFITS
According to the document, the project would provide the following benefits (italics added):

• “reliable, sustainable and cost-competitive energy source that may help stabilize electric prices in Vermont”
• “creation of jobs, expenditures for construction and operation, and property tax and lease payments”
• “whenever a kilowatt-hour of pollution-free wind energy is produced, other types of electric generation are avoided”
• “reduces the amount of carbon, nitrogen and sulfur oxides in the air that would otherwise be released by other electric generation facilities in the region”
• “dampens the exposure of energy customers to price fluctuations”

Turbine comparison with Searsburg and Fenner Turbines

Glebe-Overall Facilities Plan

Glebe Preliminary #82EF3

Glebe Vicinity Map

Glebe Road Cross Sections

Glebe Substation

Issues Raised by Catamount's Project

Why The Glebe Mountain Group
is Against This Wind Project

Wind Power Does Not Deliver
What Its Supporters Say

Proposed Catamount Project