power their facilities at Mt. Storm. The Public Service Commission of West Virginia only recently released a written
order on a hearing held February 5th in Charleston.
By: Lydia Crawley The Parsons Advocate
The Public Service Commission of West Virginia in Charleston has received a permit application from Catamount Wind, LLC for a Waiver of Requirement to Obtain a Modification or Amendment of its Sitting Certificate or, in the alternative, Petition for a Modification of its Sitting Certificate to add additional wind turbines to it facilities at Mt. Storm Wind Force, LLC.
When asked if he had knowledge of the proposed project, Tucker County Commission President Mike Rosenau said he has spoken to Catamount a few times on the subject and the company seems to want to work with the community on the project.
“I’ve spoken to the company a couple of times and they really seem to want to work with the community,” Rosenau said.
While most of the turbines will be located in Grant County, a small portion will be located in Tucker County, according to documents filed with the Public Service Commission. The site of the proposed turbines will be along the Grant/Tucker County lines near Mineral County.
The Public Service Commission of West Virginia met in Charleston April 8th on the matter of the application. In the Commission’s written order on the matter, the Commission states that, “Catamount’s proposed changes to the facility appear to be substantial as they alter the number of turbines, their locations, the sweep of their blades, and the generation capacity of each turbine. More importantly, the turbines proposed are significantly taller than the 2017 modifications.” The statement goes on to say that the proposed turbines are slated to be located in areas where turbines currently do not exist.
Sitting Rule two states in the written order that, “Because the Modified Project will materially modify the engineering design and footprint of the Original Certificate and the 2017 modifications, the Commission should deny Catamount’s request for a waiver to obtain a modification to its Sitting Certificate.”
In the Order section of the written order, the Commission writes, “IT IS THEREFORE ORDERED that Catamount Wind, LLC’s Application for Waiver of Requirements… is denied, as the proposed modifications are material, pursuant to the Commission’s Sitting Rules.”
A public comment hearing on the matter has been set for June 4th at 4 p.m. in the Howard M. Cunningham Hearing Room at the Public Service Commission Building, 201 Brooks Street in Charleston.
