The Air Force has told the Buffalo News that operations from the Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station won’t be affected by Apex Energy’s planned wind turbine farms in Orleans and Niagara Counties.
Apex is looking at two different generating complexes using wind turbines more than 600 feet tall, spun by the winds coming off Lake Ontario. Congressman Chris Collins had voiced concern that could be a risk to military aircraft.
The Air Force is phasing out the wing of C-130 cargo planes based at Niagara Falls and replacing them high KC-135 air tankers. They operate at higher altitudes and the Air Force says their training flights will operate above 3,000 feet.
The wind towers in Somerset and Yates will be about 25 miles from the air base.