Falmouth Approves 5-10 M Plan To Move Abandoned Wind Turbines

Falmouth Select Board Argues 5 to 10 Million More For Wind Turbines SEE : Video

In 2015 and 2017 the Massachusetts courts shut down both town-owned nuisance wind turbines.

The turbines have been abandoned with ongoing maintenance plans and cost continues to mount.

Falmouth bylaws require the turbines to be taken down after one year of abandonment.

In November of 2019, Falmouth Town Meeting voted 2.5 million to take down and place the turbines in storage.

Falmouth Wind I the first turbine was built in 2004 stored in a warehouse as no one would bid on it at auction. The state had to give Falmouth one million in advanced energy credits to take the turbine.

The antiquated 1.65-megawatt gear-driven wind turbines were built in 2004 and 2008 and have around ten years of service on them installed in 2010 and 2012. ( Designed 1990s)

The turbines remain standing while the Falmouth Select Board met on October 26, 2020, to discuss the turbines.

Falmouth Wind II the second wind turbine still has an outstanding 5 million ARRA loan. (Falmouth Special Town Meeting June 2009)

Since the November 2019 town meeting, the town has continued to employ an outside engineering company to make future plans.

The town has also hired an additional outside legal counsel to work on the moving of the turbines.

The Select Board has created a committee to look into creating special Massachusets legislation to move the turbine to another location.

If the legislation is enacted Town Meeting could be asked for 5 to 10 million more to move the turbines in addition to the 2.5 to take them down.

If the move is successful out of town there is no guarantee the town would get all the revenue.

Note# Each Falmouth wind turbine generates 110 decibels of noise requiring near 3000-foot setbacks to residences.
(The new location has a possibility of encountering the same noise problems as the Wastewater Treatment Plant)

The double whammy: Falmouth bought and installed the turbines now elects to spend more than the purchase price to move them!

Note # Most of the brand new commercial-scale turbines installed today are 2 MW in size and cost roughly $3-$4 million installed.

Falmouth Select Board October 26, 2020
1 hour 29 Minutes Into Video Falmouth Wind Turbine Update -- Board Talks 5 to 10 Million More ?

https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=1MQniEkCsFk&ab_channel= FalmouthCommunityTV