A map submitted by NextEra Energy Resources shows the land parcels where a proposed 200-megawatt solar array would be built in the town of Conquest.
The company proposing one of the state's largest solar arrays for northern Cayuga County will give a public presentation on the project this week, ahead of an expected application for property tax breaks.
Florida-based NextEra Energy Resources, a sister company of Florida Power & Light Co., is still in the early stages of seeking state approval for a project in Conquest that would occupy about 2,000 acres — 1,400 acres for solar panels and 600 for buffer areas designed to minimize the visual impact of the massive array. NextEra is calling the project Garnet Energy Center and has established a website about it at garnetenergycenter.com.
The site would have a 200 megawatt generating capacity with a 20-megawatt storage facility on site. Developers said it would produce enough power for 50,000 homes. The plan is to sell the electricity generated into the state's power grid.
NextEra is expected to apply for financial assistance from the Cayuga County Industrial Development Agency in the form of property tax breaks, said Tracy Verrier, executive director of the Cayuga Economic Development Agency, which provides administrative support for the IDA. She does not expect a formal application for a few more months.
The purpose of a project presentation at the IDA's monthly meeting on Tuesday is to "start getting the board familiar with the project," Verrier said. The meeting, which starts at 4 p.m., will be livestreamed at the IDA's YouTube channel.
Property tax breaks for solar projects typically preserve the existing assessed value of the affected properties because they otherwise would skyrocket and make development cost-prohibitive. In lieu of the increased tax value, the solar companies make payments based on the power generated, and these payments are distributed to the affected municipalities and school districts.
NextEra has already secured a share of $1 billion in state funding awarded to 21 projects across New York by the New York Energy Research and Development Authority.
While the IDA will decide on tax breaks, the state will have the final say on whether the project itself is approved. That review will be handled by a siting board under the auspices of the state Department of Public Services, which reviews power generation facility proposals that are 25 MW or greater.
The siting boards have seven members, five state officials and two ad hoc local residents who are chosen from nominations submitted to the leaders of the state Legislature. NextEra earlier this spring sent letters to Conquest Town Supervisor Charles Knapp and Cayuga County Legislature Chairperson Aileen McNabb-Coleman telling them that they will be able to nominate up to four people for the two ad hoc posts.
Those nominations will be due within 15 days after NextEra submits a preliminary scoping statement for the project to the state, which is expected to happen this quarter.
According to a presentation provided to the IDA ahead of this week's meeting, NextEra's rough timeline includes submitting is official project application to the state in the fourth quarter of this year, with construction starting in August 2022.
NextEra said the project would create roughly 250 construction jobs and three to four permanent salaried jobs. It says payments in lieu of taxes would amount to millions of dollars in revenues for local governments. And it is touting the economic benefits for the landowners who will lease to NextEra, many of which are farm owners.
NextEra Energy Resources has established a website to inform the public about its proposed solar power generating project proposed in the Cayuga County town of Conquest.
"Payments to landowners allow for a diversified income to keep land in the family for future generations," the presentation deck says.
The Conquest project is by far the largest of three large-scale commercial solar projects in development in Cayuga County. Two 20-megawatt arrays are being developed in the southern end of the county, one in Ledyard and the other in Scipio.
A wave solar projects in New York state have been proposed in response to the NYSERDA funding program, which is aimed at helping the state achieve clean energy goals included in recently signed state legislation.
This includes an 85% cut in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, net-zero emissions from the state's grid by 2040 and 70% of New York's electricity coming from renewal sources by 2030.
Executive Editor Jeremy Boyer can be reached at (315) 282-2231 or jeremy.boyer@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter @CitizenBoyer.
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