Solar project to shine on towns of Elba, Oakfield and the county with growth capital

If all goes as expected, a solar energy project in Elba and Oakfield will net a nearly $88 million gain for Genesee County over the next three decades, Steve Hyde says.

The CEO of the county’s Economic Development Center reviewed that financial projection as part of a Hecate Energy Cider Solar LLC project. Public hearings were recently conducted in each municipality, with a few comments and not much of an outpouring of concerns or complaints, Hyde said.

He and Marketing and Communications Director Jim Krencik presented the review during Wednesday’s Ways & Means Committee meeting. Krencik credited a successful negotiation between all entities for the project’s forward progress.

“This is going to have a major impact philosophically and visually,” he said. 

Once, or if, the measure is approved by both municipal boards and the county Legislature, the presence of a solar operation is to help fund infrastructure throughout the county via first-year payments to Elba ($989,739) and Oakfield-Alabama ($660,133) schools, the towns of Elba ($756,698) and Oakfield ($504,463), and Genesee County itself ($774,165), he said.

Thirty-year revenue predictions result with those entities each garnering $12 million to $19 million each, plus a residential utility bill credit of $2.5 million and special district taxes of nearly $5.8 million, Hyde and Krencik said. In the shorter term, each entity is predicted to receive anywhere from $504,463 to $989,739 from the deal in the first year alone.

Although the projects won’t create a lot of jobs, Hyde said, there is an impact of getting back $22 for every dollar invested, he said.

“We’ve got something here that’s pretty significant from a tax basis,” he said.

Committee legislators agreed with the plan.

“This is a transformational project for these communities,” Legislator Marianne Clattenburg said. “They need to get something back. We’re going to authorize our IDA to collect money on our behalf. If the state comes in, they’d be doing it for free.”

Admittedly, “playing tough” is not Hyde’s style, he said, but negotiations “got really tough at some points.”

There were more than 10 meetings from spring 2021 to this fall, and they involved each town’s, the county’s and EDC’s leadership to arrive at an agreement. If approved by the Towns of Elba and Oakfield -- slated for votes of consent on Thursday and Dec. 13 -- and then approved by the county Legislature on Dec. 14, "all parties would execute on their approved agreements with Hecate Energy Cider Solar LLC," Krencik said.

The time and effort has been worth it, Hyde said.

"Accomplishing a high level of fiscal benefits from solar energy projects has been a shared goal of the GCEDC, Genesee County, and our towns and schools. We thank the towns of Elba and Oakfield for their commitment and collaboration throughout the negotiations for Hecate Energy Cider Solar LLC," he said. "They have gone above and beyond in representing their communities," Hyde said.

The Batavian has reached out to the Town of Elba for the results of this week's expected vote and will add that once a reply is received.

Top File Photo: Steve Hyde, CEO of Genesee County Economic Development Center, by Howard Owens; above, Marketing and Communications Director Jim Krencik, from GCEDC website.