What's There: Giant windmill blades along Interstate 90 in eastern Erie County

Valerie Myers, Erie Times-News
·2 min read

This article is part of a recurring series that will provide updates on the status of properties of interest in the Erie area. Have a suggestion? Email  jmartin@timesnews.com.

Huge windmill blades, on the ground near the Interstate 90/Bayfront Connector interchange in Harborcreek, are causing a buzz in the township.

"It's the No. 1 question we've gotten in the past few weeks," said Harborcreek Township Supervisor Dean Pepicello. "People want to know about them, and no wonder. They're massive."

Safety crews help move windmill blades being stored on vacant land on the southeast corner of Interstate 90 and Station Road/Bayfront Connector in Harborcreek Township on Dec. 7, 2022..
Safety crews help move windmill blades being stored on vacant land on the southeast corner of Interstate 90 and Station Road/Bayfront Connector in Harborcreek Township on Dec. 7, 2022..

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The blades are about 280 feet long. They were shipped to Erie's port and then transported to Harborcreek this fall, said Gary Konaczyk, owner of the land where the blades are being stored, on the southeast side of the interchange.

The blades will be in Harborcreek until they can be installed at a new wind farm in New York, Konaczyk said.

"I dealt with the company that does the installation work," Konaczyk said, "and was told that the physical work on the foundations, I think near Jamestown, New York, has gone slower than predicted and they needed somewhere to store the blades until that's done."

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Konaczyk isn't sure why the company chose his land.

"They probably have sophisticated software that — knowing they were coming in the port and where they were going — found the most logical place (to store them) is here," Konaczyk said. "They needed flat land, and this parcel is pretty flat."

Konaczyk agreed to lease his land for storage and got the required township permit.

The blades are expected to be in Harborcreek until spring.

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They might ultimately be installed at a wind farm under construction in Chautauqua County, at Hanover and Villenova, New York, by Toronto-based Northland Power. The Jamestown Post-Journal reported in April that foundation work was continuing at the sites.

The Chautauqua County wind farm is a 100-megawatt energy project that will be powered by 25 turbines, according to the Post-Journal.

Contact Valerie Myers at vmyers@timesnews.com.

This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Giant windmill blades near Interstate 90 in Harborcreek