The Riverside Solar project is a 100 megawatt (MW) solar photovoltaic electric generating facility proposed to be located in the towns of Lyme and Brownville in Jefferson County, New York (the “Project”). The Project will span approximately 1,000 acres and plans to connect on National Grid's Lyme Tap off of the Thousand Island - Coffeen 115kv line. The Project is anticipated to positively impact both the environment and the local economy by reducing carbon dioxide emissions by an estimated 133,000 metric tons each year – the equivalent of taking approximately 28,000 cars off the road – and producing significant tax revenue and other economic benefits for the area.
Riverside Solar project overview
|
Planned capacity |
Construction jobs |
C02 emissions reduction* |
|---|---|---|
|
100 MW |
150+ |
133,000 metric tons |
*Approximate annual carbon dioxide emissions reduced
Project information is approximate and subject to change
Permitting process
Update: On October 18, 2021, Riverside Solar, LLC filed its 94-c permit application with ORES. The Notice of Application Filing and Availability of Local Agency Account Funding reflects this latest project milestone. All permit application materials can be found on the New York State Department of Public Service’s Document Matter Manager (DMM) system, under DMM Matter Number 21-00752, and are also available below in the section titled 'Riverside Solar 94-c Application'.
On February 17, 2021, Riverside Solar filed a letter with the Secretary to the NYS Public Service Commission (PSC) noticing its election to be subject to Executive Law Section 94-c and stating its intent to file a Transfer Application with the Office of Renewable Energy Siting (ORES).
Section 94-c (enacted in April 2020) established the ORES within the NYS Department of State to provide a single forum for the environmental review and permitting of proposed major renewable energy facilities. This includes renewable energy systems with a nameplate generating capacity of 25,000 kilowatts or more, co-located energy storage systems, and electric transmission facilities less than 10 miles in length. The final Section 94-c regulations were issued on March 3, 2021 and can be viewed here.
Article 10 applications that have received a completeness determination will be deemed complete under the new 94-c process, while projects currently undergoing the Article 10 siting process can choose to either remain in Article 10 or opt-in to 94-c. The 94-c regulations issued by ORES include an expedited permitting process to account for matters and issues already presented and resolved in the alternate Article 10 proceedings.
Prior to submitting a 94-c permit application, projects are required to consult with the local agencies and stakeholders of the community(ies) in which the proposed project will be located. ORES also requires that state agencies (e.g. NY DEC) are consulted on wetland and stream delineations, threatened and endangered species, and archeological and cultural resources, if appropriate. Agency consultations should take place at the earliest point possible in the applicant’s process.
Following consultations with impacted agencies, 94-c applicants must hold at least one meeting for community members. The Riverside Solar Virtual Community Meeting was held on March 2, 2021.
Outside of the 94-c public comment period and requirements, Riverside Solar is committed to ongoing stakeholder and community engagement; including maintaining the “Public Involvement Program (PIP) Plan” log, even though it is not a 94-c requirement.
Documents filed in the Project proceedings may be viewed online at the PSC’s website by clicking “Search” on the homepage and then entering Matter Number 21-00752 in the field “Search by Case Number”, or by directly visiting the Riverside Solar DMM. Interested parties may subscribe to the service list or request party status for the Riverside Solar Project by accessing the Project proceedings via either of the links included above.
How to become an intervenor in the 94-c process
With the filing of its 94-c application on October 18, 2021, Riverside Solar, LLC submitted the required local agency account fee of $100,000. These funds can be sought by local community intervenors and host towns. 75% of funds are reserved for municipalities.
Any local agency or potential community intervenor seeking funding must submit a request for initial funding no later than 4:30 p.m. EST on November 17, 2021 (within 30 days of the date of application filing). Such requests can be made via:
The ORES Request For Local Agency Account Funding form available in the Resources section of the ORES website
Or by email to:
general@ores.ny.gov
Or by mail to:
Attention: Request for Local Agency Account Funding
Office of Renewable Energy Siting
Empire State Plaza
240 State Street
P-1 South, J Dock
Albany, NY 12242
Further details regarding requests for local agency account funding can be found in the Notice of Application Filing and Availability of Local Agency Account Funding.
If you have questions regarding the intervenor process, please contact the ORES office.
Exhibit 1. General Requirements
Exhibit 2. Overview and Public Involvement
Exhibit 3. Location of Facilities and Surrounding Land Use
Exhibit 6. Public Health, Safety and Security
Exhibit 7. Noise and Vibration
Exhibit 10. Geology, Seismology, and Soils
Exhibit 11. Terrestrial Ecology
Exhibit 12. NYS Threatened and Endangered Species
Exhibit 13. Water Resources and Aquatic Ecology
Exhibit 15. Agricultural Resources
Exhibit 16. Effect on Transportation
Exhibit 17. Consistency with Energy Planning Objectives
Exhibit 18. Socioeconomic Effects
Exhibit 19. Environmental Justice
Exhibit 20. Effect on Communications
Exhibit 21. Electric System Effects and Interconnection
Exhibit 22. Electric and Magnetic Fields
Exhibit 23. Site Restoration and Decommissioning
Exhibit 24. Local Laws and Ordinances
Exhibit 25. Other Permits and Approvals
Figure 2-1. Facility and Regulatory Boundaries
Figure 3-1. Topographic Maps of Facility Site
Figure 3-2. Facility Site and Regulatory Boundaries
Figure 3-3. Current Land Use and Major Utility Infrastructure in the Study Area
Figure 3-4. Tax Parcel Map within 1000 Feet of Facility Site
Figure 3-5. Zoning Districts and Publicly Known Proposed Land Uses in the Study Area
Figure 3-6. Designated Areas within the Study Area
Figure 3-7. Aerial Photography of the Study Area
Figure 6-1. Emergency Facilities and Hazards in the Study Area
Figure 7-1. Sound Level Modeling
Figure 7-4.1. Short Term Sound Modeling
Figure 7-5.1. Substation Sound Level Modeling
Figure 7-j.1. Construction Sound Level Modeling
Figure 10-2. Surficial Geology Map
Figure 10-3. Bedrock Geology Map
Figure 10-4. Seismic Hazard Map
Figure 10-5. NRCS Soil Unit Map
Figure 11-1. Land Cover on Facility Site
Figure 13-1. Water Wells, Groundwater Aquifers and Recharge Areas
Figure 13-2. Wetlands and Surface Water
Figure 13-3. Delineated Surface Waters
Figure 13-4. Facility Site Groundwater Depth
Figure 14-1. Delineated Wetlands
Figure 15-1. Agricultural Land in the Study Area
Figure 15-2. Facility Site Drainage
Appendix 1-1. Certificate of Formation
Appendix 1-2. Riverside Solar, LLC New York State Entity Status
Appendix 2-1. Jinko Solar Tiger Pro Bifacial Module Specification Sheet
Appendix 2-2. Array Technologies DuraTrack® HZ v3 Tracking System Specification Sheet
Appendix 2-3. Virtual Community Meeting PowerPoint
Appendix 2-4. Virtual Community Meeting Questions and Answers
Appendix 2-5. PIP Plan Meeting Log
Appendix 3-1. Town of Lyme Comprehensive Land Use Plan (2010)
Appendix 3-2. Town of Brownville Comprehensive Plan (1989)
Appendix 4-1. Survey of Properties Leased by Applicant
Appendix 4-2. Demonstration of Title or Lease in Facility Site
Appendix 5-1. Issued for Permit Design Drawings
Appendix 5-2. Sungrow Inverter Specification Sheet
Appendix 5-3. Main Power Transformer Specification Sheet
Appendix 6-1. Safety Response Plan
Appendix 6-2. Site Security Plan
Appendix 6-3. Agency Correspondence
Appendix 7-1. List of Modeled Sound Sources
Appendix 7-2. List of Sound Receptors
Appendix 7-3. Ambient Pre-Construction Sound Level Measurement Program
Appendix 7-4. Project Modeled Sound Levels - Leq (8-hour)
Appendix 7-5. Collector Substation Modeled Sound Levels - Leq (1 hour)
Appendix 7-6. Collector Substation Layout
Appendix 7-7. Manufacturer Sound Level Data Sheets
Appendix 7-8. Cumulative Analysis
Appendix 7-9. Glossary of Terms
Appendix 8-1. Visual Impact Assessment
Appendix 8-2. Glint and Glare Analysis
Appendix 9-1. Phase IA Archaeological Survey and Sensitivity Assessment
Appendix 9-3. Historic Architectural Resources Survey and Effects Report
Appendix 9-4. Phase IB Archaeological Report
Appendix 10-1. Geotechnical Report
Appendix 10-2. Preliminary Karst Field Reconnaissance
Appendix 10-3. Karst Mitigation Plan
Appendix 11-1. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service IPaC Consultation
Appendix 11-2. Invasive Species Management and Control Plan
Appendix 12-1. Wildlife Site Characterization Report
Appendix 12-2. Grassland Breeding Bird Survey Report
Appendix 12-3. State-listed Wintering Grassland Raptor Survey Report
Appendix 12-4. Determination of Occupied Habitat, Incidental Take and Net Conservation
Benefit
Appendix 12-5. Net Conservation Benefit Plan
Appendix 12-6. Occupied Habitat and Estimated Take Response
Appendix 13-2. Private Water Well Survey
Appendix 13-3. Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan
Appendix 14-1. Wetland and Stream Delineation Report
Appendix 14-2. Riverside Functions and Values Assessment
Appendix 14-3. ORES Draft Surface Waters and Wetlands Jurisdictional Determination
Appendix 15-1. Real Property Agricultural Assessment Records
Appendix 15-2. Agricultural Viability Landowner Survey
Appendix 15-3. Agricultural Plan
Appendix 15-4. Drainage Remediation Plan
Appendix 16-1. AASHTO Tables and Sight Distance Diagram
Appendix 16-2. NYSDOT Average Annual Daily Traffic (AADT) Volumes
Appendix 16-3. Accident Summary Data 2018-2020
Appendix 16-4. School Bus Routes and Transit Routes
Appendix 16-5. Emergency Access Routes
Appendix 16-6. Posted Bridge and Culvert Data
Appendix 16-7. Construction Access Routes
Appendix 16-8. Highway Capacity Software (HCS) Level of Service Output
Appendix 16-9. Truck Turning Templates
Appendix 20-1. Proposed Riverside Solar Collection Substation
Appendix 20-2. Proposed Riverside Solar Point of Interconnection
Appendix 21-1. Systems Reliability Impact Study
Appendix 23-1. Decommissioning and Restoration Plan
Appendix 24-1. Town of Lyme Zoning Ordinance and Town of Brownville Zoning Law
Appendix 24-2. Towns of Lyme and Brownville Solar Energy-Related Laws
Appendix 24-3. Town of Lyme Flood Damage Prevention Law
Appendix 25-1. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Project-Related Correspondence
March 2020 virtual info session: recording
Riverside Solar DMM (Matter Number: 21-00752)
Resources
Updated Riverside Public Involvement Program (PIP) Plan
Riverside 3-day notice of filing a 94-c permit application
New York Office Hours
Have a question or comment for AES about their work in your community? Give us a call during these hours to talk to a company representative.
- Every Monday from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM ET
- Every Thursday from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM ET
- Call our New York office at 866-757-7697 (866-SLRPOWR)
Contact us
For any inquiries or comments about Riverside Solar please contact us directly at:
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Project Email: riversidesolar@aes.com
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Project Phone Number: 866-757-7697 (866-SLRPOWR)
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Office Address:
195 Montague Street
14th Floor, Suite 1461
Brooklyn, NY 11201
Stay updated
If you would like to be designated as a Project Stakeholder and added to the Project's Master Stakeholder List, please fill out the following form. Individuals and groups on this list receive mailed copies of the regulatory project notices required by 94-c.