Company proposes new wind turbines in Lewis County, local officials have no say

By Seth Appleby

Published: Jul. 16, 2026 at 5:42

 

TOWN OF LEWIS, New York (WWNY) - In Lewis County, windmills dot the skyline.

“We’ve been very open. We have a large number of windmills in Lewis County,” said County Manager Tim Hunt.

A company wants to add another 50 wind turbines in the southern part of the county, but local officials say they have little control over the project and don’t expect a significant tax benefit.

WPD Group, an energy company based in Germany with offices in California and South Carolina, is proposing a new wind project in the towns of Leyden, West Turin, and Lewis, as well as across the border in Oneida County.

7 News reached out to WPD for more details and has not heard back, but according to documentation, 50 turbines could be added.

‘No local control over this project’

Hunt said the local towns and the county have no say in the project - their power stripped away by the state.

“They’ve moved the citing to ORES, the Office of Renewable Energy so there’s no local control over this project,” Hunt said. “Public sentiment is very much against green energy and New York State has not done a good job of managing this.”

Tax structure has changed

Hunt said state law has also changed how taxes work with wind projects, meaning local towns stand to benefit less than they have in the past.

“These companies can now put in for 51% ownership by NYPA and NYPA is completely tax exempt because it’s a state agency. You take away local control, you take away their benefits? Of course people are not going to want this stuff,” Hunt said.

Towns say they haven’t heard much

Town officials in Leyden and West Turin said they haven’t heard much from the state or WPD. 7 News also reached out to town officials in Lewis and District Legislator Jeff Nellenback but had not heard back.

Company proposes new wind turbines in Lewis County, local officials have no say

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