Notice of Intent to File Application
2/24/2021
Cider Solar Farm
Genesee County, New York
Hecate Energy Cider Solar LLC (Applicant) hereby provides notice that, on or about April 28, 2021, it intends to file an Application with the Office of Renewable Energy Siting (ORES) for a permit for the siting, construction and operation of a major renewable energy facility. The Applicant proposes to construct an up to 500 megawatt (MW) photovoltaic (PV) solar energy generating facility, referred to as the Cider Solar Farm (the Project), in the towns of Elba and Oakfield, Genesee County, New York. The Applicant is providing this notice in accordance with draft regulation 19 NYCRR 900- 1.3(d).
Brief Project Summary
The Project is a proposed solar powered electric generating facility in the towns of Elba and Oakfield, Genesee County, New York. The Project is located on an approximately 3,000 acre area located north-centrally in the County, approximately five miles north of the City of Batavia. Lockport Road bisects the Project from east to west, while State Route 98 traverses the eastern portion of the Project. Project components include photovoltaic solar panels, inverters, buried electrical collection lines, gravel access roads, security fencing, and a substation. If the Project’s application to ORES for a permit is approved, the Project will interconnect to an onsite New York Power Authority (NYPA) 345 kilovolt (kV) transmission line. Project components will be located on leased private land. It is anticipated that the Project construction will commence in 2022, with commercial operation commencing in 2023.
The Project is a renewable source of energy that will assist the State in meeting the goals of both the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act and State Energy Plan, which include obtaining 70% of the State’s energy consumption from renewable sources by 2030, and 100% of the State’s energy from clean sources by 2040. Project benefits also include increased revenues to local tax bases, temporary and permanent employment, and purchase of local goods and supplies. While the construction and operation of the Project may result in certain temporary and long-term environmental impacts, as will be fully described in the Application, the Applicant has designed the Project to minimize impacts to land and the community by avoiding forestlands and wetlands to the extent practical.
Applicant Representative
The designated contact person for this Project is:
Hecate Energy Cider Solar LLC Harrison Luna, Development Manager 621 W Randolph Street
Chicago, IL 60661
(833) 529-6597 CiderSolar@HecateEnergy.com
The website established for this Project by the Applicant is www.cidersolarfarm.com.
Availability of Funds
As provided in draft regulation 19 NYCRR 900-5, intervenor funds will be available for the project. A local agency or potential community intervenor may request funds to defray expenses for experts, including attorneys and consultants, associated with participating in the Section 94-c permitting process and pursuant to draft regulation 19 NYCRR 900. Any local agency or potential community intervenor may submit a request for initial funding within thirty (30) days of the date of application filing. Such request shall be made to the Office of Renewable Energy Siting, at 99 Washington Avenue, Albany, New York 12231, Attention: Request for Local Agency Account Funding.
