NYSERDA selected CleanCapital to build a 12 MW solar project on an underutilized mining site.
The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) announced it selected CleanCapital to construct a 12 MW solar project in the Adirondack Park area.
The project is the first authorized under New York’s Build-Ready site auction program. It will be located on an underutilized portion of Benson Mines, an iron ore mining site in St. Lawerence County. Benson Mines will remain in operation as an aggregates and timber business.
The Build-Ready Program advances renewable energy projects on underutilized land, including brownfields, landfills, former industrial sites, parking lots, and abandoned or existing commercial and industrial sites. To date, it has screened over 5,000 locations and advanced dozens of sites through advanced assessment and development.
Once operational, the project is expected to generate enough electricity to serve the equivalent demand of about 3,000 homes annually.
“The Build-Ready program is helping to reimagine sites across the state so that communities can benefit from these otherwise abandoned spaces,” said NYSERDA president and chief executive officer Doreen M. Harris.
The project was facilitated by NYSERDA via an auction process. The authority awarded, sold and transferred the project to CleanCapital to complete the remaining development milestones, finance, construct, own and operate the project.
CleanCapital entered a 20-year renewable energy certificate (REC) agreement, selling tier 1 certificates generated by the project.
NYSERDA worked with the Town of Clifton, the Clifton-Fine Central School District and the St. Lawrence County Industrial Development Agency (SLCIDA) to secure a payment-in-lieu-of-taxes agreement, injecting revenue into local communities. The project created the Clifton-Fine Solar Community Fund, which includes $200,000 in host community benefits, which it said includes funding for local prospects, job training, and community improvement projects.
“This project is an outstanding example of how to integrate large scale solar projects into rural communities and protected landscapes,” said Barb Rice, executive director, Adirondack Park Agency.
