New York Regulator Approves 500-MW Solar Project

Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--New York state is set to receive its largest solar project yet after the Office of Renewable Energy Siting and Transmission (ORES) gave the green light to construction of the 500-megawatt (MW) Cider solar project, which is being developed by Hecate Energy LLC (Chicago, Illinois) and is owned by Greenbacker Renewable Energy Company LLC (New York, New York).

Following pre-construction filings, ORES has issued a notice to proceed for the project. ORES issued an initial siting permit in 2022. Greenbacker acquired the project from Hecate last year, although Hecate is still responsible for construction. Greenbacker received $950 million in debt to fund the purchase, construction and operation of the plant last month, and now with ORES' go-ahead, the project seems ready to proceed.

Spanning approximately 2,500 acres, the Cider project is located in Genesee County, near Elba and Oakfield. Some initial site work began last year, and ORES' permission now gives the green light to begin building. Construction is expected to last through 2026. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Project Database can learn more by viewing the project report.

Industrial Info is tracking more than 65 projects being developed by Hecate, including renewable energy and battery storage projects ranging from less than 50 MW to several hundred megawatts and billion-dollar-plus price tags. However, most of these projects have been deemed by Industrial Info as having a low probability (0-69%) of moving forward as planned, with Hecate's higher-probability projects clustered toward projects at the smaller end of the scale.

One exception to this is Hecate's Sunfish solar development in Calhoun County, Michigan, which is expected to reach a generating capacity of more than 850 MW when both phases of construction are complete. Construction on Phase I is expected to begin early next year, putting in place the first 500 MW of ground-mounted solar panels on a single-axis tracking system. A second phase could provide more than 350 MW of additional power. Hecate has named Bechtel (Reston, Virginia) as the engineering, procurement and construction contractor on the project. Subscribers can learn more by viewing the reports on Phase I and Phase II.

Among Hecate's projects lined up to begin this year are three 80-MW solar projects in three counties in southeast Alabama. Henry, Geneva and Dale counties are all set to see 80-MW solar arrays established within their borders by Hecate. All of the projects are set to kick off in the coming months, taking about a year to complete, putting them on track to be completed in mid-2026. Subscribers can learn more by viewing the related project reports.

Hecate is underway with a series of small solar arrays in Greene County, New York, in the east of the state as opposed to the 500-MW Cider project's location in the west. Last year, Hecate launched the placement of more than 195,000 solar panels for the 50 MW of arrays, which is expected to wrap up late this summer. Greenbacker has owned the project since 2022. Subscribers can click here to learn more about the project.

Subscribers to Industrial Info's GMI Database can click here to view reports for all of the projects discussed in this article and click here for the related plant profiles.

Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking over 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 trillion (USD).