Wind farm project to power 10,000 homes

FLORIDA, Mass. (WWLP) - Governor Deval Patrick was in Florida, Massachusetts on Monday morning to get a firsthand look at the Hoosac Wind Project.

The major clean energy project is about nine years in the making, and is expected to go online before the new year begins.

The 19-turbine project in the towns of Monroe and Florida is the largest in Southern New England, and will remain so until the construction of the proposed Cape Wind project in Nantucket Sound.

Wind farm projects have not been without controversy, with some saying that they interfere with wildlife or obstruct beautiful natural views. Patrick, however, thinks that they are pleasant to look at, and believes that what they do makes them even more attractive.

“I think they’re quite elegant, and when you think about what they are doing for tens of thousands of homes in terms of a clean, renewable, and reliable source of electricity and what that does for our environment, I think that adds to the beauty,” Patrick said.

Once the project is online, Hoosac Wind is expected to power about 10,000 homes.