BROOKLYN - The state has dismissed without prejudice a petition that would bring a 50 megawatt solar farm to the Brooklyn-Canterbury town line, essentially putting the project in a holding pattern, officials said.
According to records, the state Siting Council denied the petition, filed by Quinebaug Solar LLC, on Dec. 7. The 50 megawatt AC solar photovoltaic electric generating facility is slated to deliver enough power for more than 8,000 homes. However, officials said the project presented questions of negative environmental impacts, and requested further studies be conducted.
By denying the petition without prejudice, the Siting Council leaves an opportunity for the company, NextEra, to propose the project in the future. NextEra recently acquired Ranger Solar’s portfolio.
"We keep the same docket number and original petition," Aaron Svedlow, project director for renewable development in New England at NextEra, said. "It basically means they are pressing the pause button."
If the council had denied the petition with prejudice, the matter would not be allowed to come before the council in the future.
Letters from a couple of state departments requesting extra consideration on environmental factors contributed to the council’s decision, according to the report. The State Department of Agriculture had filed a letter saying the 561-acre Wauregan Road property should be preserved for farm land.
Another letter from the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection’s Wildlife Division identified two reptile species that are either state-listed endangered or concerned; the Eastern ribbon snake and the Eastern hognose snake; and two amphibian species; the pure diploid blue-spotted salamander and the Eastern spadefoot toad.
These species require upland wooded areas extending at least 750 feet from the edge of the vernal pool and surrounding upland shrub areas for the completion of their lifecycle, the letter said.
"Impacts to these species result in impacts to wetlands," the report says. "Therefore, it is important to consider the lifecycles of these species in relation to wetlands."
Svedlow said third-party consultants will be brought in to complete further environmental studies in the area in the spring.
"We don’t even know if these species are there for sure," Brooklyn First Selectman Rick Ives said, while voicing concern that the setback will delay the project. "There is a line between being thorough and being over the top, and I’m not sure where this falls."
Svedlow said though there will be a delay in construction, the project is on track to begin providing energy to the state by the end of 2019, as per their contract.
"I believe we can still attain that deadline," he said. "I don’t expect this to substantially affect our construction schedule."