The New York State Office of Renewable Energy Siting (ORES) approved Hecate Energy‘s siting application for a 500-MW Cider Solar Farm. The landmark ruling makes Cider Solar Farm the largest solar energy generation project ever permitted in the state.
This is also the first permit issued by ORES for a project whose application was initially filed with the new state office; all previous ORES-permitted projects initially filed their permit applications under the older Article 10 siting process.
“This permit marks a major milestone, not only for Hecate Energy, but in making meaningful progress toward New York State’s ambitious climate goals,” said Harrison Luna, Hecate Energy’s project developer for the Cider Solar Farm. “We are appreciative of the support and coordination for the Cider Solar Project that we received from civic leadership of the Oakfield and Elba town governments. Hecate Energy experienced a positive collaborative interaction with ORES during the permitting process, which was key in advancing this project.”
Cider Solar Farm is to be built on nearly 3,000 acres across the towns of Elba and Oakfield. Hecate Energy anticipates starting construction on the solar farm by 2023. Construction is expected to create positions for 495 full-time employees.
When complete, the project will be interconnected to the New York State electricity grid through the Dysinger-New Rochester 345kV transmission line.
The solar farm will be capable of supplying 920,000 MWh of renewable electricity per year – enough to power over 120,000 average New York households.
“Cider Solar Farm represents a significant $500 million private infrastructure investment in Western New York – not only will this project create hundreds of local jobs, but it will also directly fund local governments, schools, and community services like the fire department and ambulance squad,” said Luna.
Tags: Hecate Energy, utility-scale
