The Connecticut Siting Council held a virtual public hearing and evidentiary session Tuesday for a petition to build a solar facility in town. Originally proposed by Greenskies Clean Energy in 2018, the company’s application was denied by the Siting Council after Waterford and Save the River-Save the Hills raised concerns ranging from the potential impact on wildlife to clear-cutting dozens of acres of forest. The developer, GRE Gacrux LLC, says the revised site plan has addressed those concerns. The new plan also proposes to decrease the size of the project from 55,692 solar panels to 45,976. According to Greenskies Vice President of Marketing Jeff Hintzke, the project would generate 16 megawatts of energy, which can power more than 3,000 homes, helping Connecticut meet its emissions-reduction targets of 45% below 2001 levels by 2030. Developers are now providing for 10 acre-feet of basin storage instead of the initial 2.8 acre-feet. The site would use Eversource Energy’s existing substation at 325 Waterford Parkway North.
https://www.theday.com/business/20200715/siting-council-hears-revised-plan-environmental-concerns-on-proposed-waterford-solar-facility