BY STEPHEN WILLIAMS, The Daily Gazette
PRINCETOWN, N.Y. — The town of Princetown is close to giving final approval to what would be one of the largest commercial solar projects in the Capital Region.
The town Planning Board last Thursday voted to approve a special use permit for the Pattersonville Solar Facility, a 20-megawatt photovoltaic solar array to be built on a 150-acre property on Scotch Church Road near the hamlet of Pattersonville. It will be located on former farm land.
The Town Board still needs to finalize a host community benefit agreement, which is expected to happen at the Aug. 13 board meeting, Town Supervisor Louis Esposito said.
“I don’t anticipate any problems,” Esposito said. “We don’t have any town taxes, so we’re going to do a host community agreement.”
The $45 million project, proposed by alternative energy developer Teichos Energy of Seattle, was unveiled in March 2018, among several dozen large-scale solar projects around the state being supported by New York state as part of efforts to reduce its reliance on fossil fuels. In the Capital Region, it appears to be the closest to fruition.
The state is supporting the project by guaranteeing future energy purchases from it. A 20-megawatt array generates roughly enough power to supply 15,000 to 20,000 homes. Electricity produced at the site will go into the regional energy grid.
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