500 MW Solar Electric Generating Facility in the Towns of Oakfield and Elba, Genesee County Will Produce Enough Electricity to Power 125,000 Homes
Decision Follows a Detailed Review and Robust Public Participation Process
Governor Kathy Hochul today announced the New York State Office of Renewable Energy Siting has issued a siting permit to Hecate Energy Cider Solar LLC, to develop, design, construct, operate, maintain, and decommission a 500-megawatt solar facility in the Towns of Oakfield and Elba, Genesee County.
"Today's announcement is a significant step in reducing our dependence on fossil fuels, and further cements New York as a national leader in the fight to combat climate change," Governor Hochul said. "This project brings New York closer to not just meeting but exceeding our goal of obtaining 70 percent of our electricity from renewable resources while creating well-paying green jobs - creating a greener, more prosperous Empire State for generations to come."
Hecate Energy Cider Solar, the fifth major renewable energy facility approved by the Office of Renewable Energy Siting since 2020, is a milestone achievement as the largest solar facility approved to date in New York State. ORES's decision follows a detailed and transparent review with a robust public participation process to ensure the proposed facility meets or exceeds the requirements of Section 94-c of the Executive Law and its implementing regulations in a timely, cost-effective manner.
This solar facility and other major renewable energy facilities permitted and currently under ORES review are vital to meet the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act's (CLCPA) aggressive carbon reduction and clean energy targets to combat climate change. Once completed, this solar facility is expected to generate enough clean energy to power more than 125,000 New York homes, which will result in a reduction of approximately 462,000 tons of CO2 annually.
Office of Renewable Energy Sitting Executive Director Houtan Moaveni said, "Today's decision demonstrates the effectiveness and efficacy of the Executive Law § 94-c process to accelerating the development of large-scale renewable energy projects in New York State while ensuring the protection of the environment and consideration of all pertinent social, economic, and environmental factors. We look forward to working with all stakeholders as New York's nation-leading pipeline of large-scale renewable energy projects are constructed in a timely and responsible manner."
The project is expected to provide approximately $30 million in new revenue to the county, town and school district in property tax-type benefits to invest in infrastructure, additional services, and resources for residents. The solar facility is expected to create 495 well-paying jobs during construction and throughout operation while investing approximately $28.1 million in construction labor, creating employment opportunities for those in the construction trades, including equipment operators, truck drivers, laborers, and electricians. Hecate Energy provided $500,000 in intervenor funds to facilitate the participation of local agencies and community groups in the review of the facilities.
New York's Nation-Leading Clean Energy Initiative
New York State's nation-leading climate agenda is the most aggressive climate and clean energy initiative in the nation, calling for an orderly and just transition to clean energy that creates jobs and continues fostering a green economy as New York State recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic. Enshrined into law through the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, New York is on a path to achieve its mandated goal of a zero-emission electricity sector by 2040, including 70 percent renewable energy generation by 2030, and to reach economy wide carbon neutrality. It builds on New York's unprecedented investments to ramp-up clean energy including over $35 billion in 120 large-scale renewable and transmission projects across the state, $6.8 billion to reduce buildings emissions, $1.8 billion to scale up solar, more than $1 billion for clean transportation initiatives, and over $1.6 billion in NY Green Bank commitments. Combined, these investments are supporting nearly 158,000 jobs in New York's clean energy sector in 2020, a 2,100 percent growth in the distributed solar sector since 2011 and a commitment to develop 9,000 megawatts of offshore wind by 2035. Under the Climate Act, New York will build on this progress and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 85 percent from 1990 levels by 2050, while ensuring that at least 35 percent with a goal of 40 percent of the benefits of clean energy investments are directed to disadvantaged communities, and advance progress towards the state's 2025 energy efficiency target of reducing on-site energy consumption by 185 trillion BTUs of end-use energy savings.
About ORES
The Office of Renewable Energy Siting (ORES or Office) is the first-of-its-kind state agency dedicated solely to environmentally responsible and cost-effective siting of renewable energy facilities and was established by the Accelerated Renewable Energy Growth and Community Benefit Act in April 2020. The Office consolidates the environmental review and permitting of major renewable energy facilities to ensure that siting decisions are predictable, responsible, and done in a timely manner with input from local governments and host communities. On March 3, 2021, the Office adopted comprehensive regulations including a set of uniform standards and conditions to implement the Act. The Office is designed to enable New York to obtain 70 percent of the state's electricity from renewable sources by 2030, as required under New York's nation-leading climate plan, enshrined into law through the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act. For more information on ORES, please visit www.ores.ny.gov.
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