Seneca Nation Celebrates Commissioning of 1.7-Megawatt Wind Turbine with Energy Department Support

April 7, 2017

On April 7, the Seneca Nation of Indians commissioned a 1.7-megawatt wind turbine on Seneca Nation Reservation land in western New York, marking the culmination of several rounds of grant funding from the Energy Department's Office of Indian Energy.

Because the Nation's three distinct territories are noncontiguous, some tribal members pay disproportionally more for electricity than others. The desire to equalize these cost disparities and address other energy challenges motivated the Seneca Nation to seek innovative energy solutions. One such solution is the recently commissioned wind turbine, which will capitalize on the New York State aggregate net-metering policy to lower the cost of electricity and ensure price parity for tribal members across all territories.