BY PAUL MITCHELL
North Country This Week

CANTON – EDF Renewables, developers of the 240-megawatt Rich Road solar project, filed its application with the state on Friday, March 31.

“There are 25 chapters within the permit application (see link https://orespermits.ny.gov/Public/MatterManagement/CaseMaster.aspx?MatterSeq=64955&MNO=22-00031

Most are split into separate entries because of the 25MW file limit the State has,” noted Jack Honor, development manager for EDF Renewables.

The solar center is located on 1,700 acres along Rt. 11 south in the Town of Canton and stretching from the Eddy-Pyrites Road to the Miner Street Road and west to the Irish Settlement Road.

Paper copies will also be available for public viewing at the Canton Free Library.

Honor outlined the process for the next six months.

Once an application is filed, ORES has 60 days to review it for completeness. No project has ever been deemed complete on the first submission; it's common to get comments and submit revised portions, he noted.

“If a notice of incomplete application is issued (which is common) - we have 60 days to revise and then ORES has another 60 days to review for completeness again,” Honor continued. Applications for intervenor funding for local municipalities and groups are due within 30 days of application filing. There will be $240,000 available.”

Once the application is deemed complete, the formal process to solicit written comments from the public and the towns will begin. ORES has 1 year to approve it once it's deemed complete.

A public hearing is scheduled to be held in early fall, he said.

EDF is required to provide $240,000 or $1,000 per megawatt, to be put towards the intervenor process. The Canton Village Board has indicated they will be applying for intervenor status.

Honor encourages everyone to read the application by going to richroadsolar.com