Steel mill to wind farm
The 30-acre Bethlehem Steel Mill on Lake Erie was in operation for almost 80 years and was closed in the mid-1970s. Contaminated with steel slag and industrial waste, the site was idle for 30 years. In May 2002, the EPA awarded the City of Lackawanna a $200,000 grant to investigate the site’s potential for reuse. It was ultimately developed into a wind farm, limiting the excavation of contaminated soil (the site remains closed to the public) and making use of existing power transmission infrastructure. BQ Energy, UPC Wind and the City of Lackawanna chose 2.5 MW wind turbines developed by Clipper Windpower. 8 turbines were installed, generating 50 KWh worth of wind energy and powering 9,000 homes annually.
