CANTON, New York (WWNY) – A large solar project near Canton continues to move forward with New York state even though local leaders have concerns.
Solar panels might become a common sight near Canton as EDF Renewables, a French-based solar company, plans on a solar farm and storage facility called the Rich Road Solar and Storage Project. According to the company’s website, the farm will power 61,000 homes throughout the state.
“When you aggregate these all together, we were talking about replacing a very significant amount of power generation with solar,” said Bill Buchan, solar attorney for the town and village of Canton.
Buchman, who’s responsible for negotiations with the developer on behalf of the village and town, says that the nearly 2000-acre project would be set up on farmland.
The project brings jobs and investment to the area, but community leaders have concerns about the aesthetics, economics, and the fear of a repeat of what happened at a solar farm near Chaumont.
“A lot of concerns were raised about the battery fire in Chaumont that happened last year and whether or not that could possibly happen in Canton, and whether or not the town and village fire department are prepared to address a fire such as bad,” said Buchman.
A project this big is state-permitted, and local laws and regulations are superseded. Town and village officials can raise concerns with the state but have no final say. Local leaders voiced their concerns last month, but nothing was changed in the permit.
“Disappointment with a capital D,” said Buchman.
According to the EDF Renewal website, construction will begin in 2025 with an expected completion in 2027.
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