State commission approves Franklin County solar project

FORT COVINGTON — Last week the state’s Public Service Commission gave the greenlight for a proposed solar project in Franklin County.

The project, located in Fort Covington, is expected to power 64,000 average-sized homes with clean and renewable energy, according to a press release issued Thursday by the state commission.

The Public Service Commission granted certificates of public convenience and necessity to the solar array totaling 250-megawatts, according to the agency, and the granting of these certificates allows for project construction to commence.

“I am pleased to announce that the developer has satisfied the statutory requirements for the granting of this certificate to construct the facility,” Rory M. Christian, commission chair, said in the release, “This important project demonstrates we are strengthening our commitment to improve grid reliability and build clean energy. This project joins the more than 30 projects that New York has approved over the last few years. This is a testament to New York’s commitment to sustainability, affordability, and resiliency.”

The $505 million project is expected to contribute millions of dollars to the local economy and create more than 150 construction jobs, according to the PSC.

Fort Covington will also provide $1.25 million in electric utility bill credits to town residents over a 10-year period in addition to funding improvements to the local fire department as well as Rainbow Park in Fort Covington, according to the PSC, and the town received its siting permit from the state’s Office of Renewable Energy Siting and Electric Transmission in August.

According to project documents, Fort Covington Solar LLC, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Boralex, a Canadian energy production company based in Quebec.

A boundary area encompassing all facility components totals 58 parcels within the town of Fort Covington, totaling 5,362.9 acres, according to project documents, which state the portion of the facility site where the potential for construction impacts and site disturbance occurs, totals approximately 1,759.8 acres.

Boralex owns and operates more than 3,100 MW of renewable power plants globally, including six hydroelectric projects in New York and an additional 121 operating projects across the U.S., Canada, and Europe, according to project documents.

The solar project in Fort Covington received earlier approval from officials to move forward in August.

In March 2023, representatives from Boralex held a Q&A session at the Fort Covington Adult Center and said the project will add tax revenue to the town, county and Salmon River Central School District.

Boralex reps also stressed a plan to work together with local officials and community.

“Boralex is committed to working with the town of Fort Covington, Franklin County, and other local stakeholders to ensure that the project is properly integrated into the community,” read a handout the company distributed at the 2023 session.

At that session, Boralex also said it will provide some funding for Meals on Wheels through the adult center, and will “establish a local agricultural working group to evaluate, implement, and monitor agricultural co-utilization projects during operation that can occur on the same footprint as the solar project.”

Boralex will also support STEM education and workforce development programs as they work to help New York reach its goal of 70% clean power by 2030, officials told the Telegram in 2023.

According to Boralex officials, the positive environmental impacts of solar energy are significant, adding the energy is clean and renewable, emits no air pollutants or greenhouse gases, and does not require a water supply for operation.

The Fort Covington Solar application was deemed complete in February and a draft permit was issued by ORES in April.