State OKs Hecate bid for solar project, triggering 60-day time clock

COPAKE — The 42-megawatt solar project planned for this hamlet has moved a notch ahead in the application process at the state level, but it continues to face strong opposition on the local level.

The New York State Department of Public Service’s Office of Renewable Energy Siting issued a “complete application” notice to Hecate Energy LLC on Friday, Sept. 19. Since February, when the company’s application was dismissed, the state had issued two notices of incomplete application based on filings by Hecate.

The notice of complete application triggered a 60-day period during which ORES can either issue a permit or deny the application.

Sensible Solar for Rural New York, a citizens group. said the state’s action to grant a complete application status shows “utter disregard” for the safety of the 1,400 students who attend the Taconic Hills Central Schools in Copake.

“We are dismayed that ORES has deemed the Shepherd’s Run application complete, without requiring an evacuation plan for the Taconic Schools in the event of fire,” wrote Sara Traberman of SSRNY. “We urge ORES to issue a permit denial, rather than a Draft Permit, in the next 60 days.”

“ORES ignored concerns not just of citizens but of the Copake Town Board, and in engineers’ reports filed on behalf of landowners which highlighted areas where theapplication was not correct or complete,“ Traberman adds.

Matt Levine, Shepherd’s Run’s project manager, said in a statement: “Hecate Energy is pleased to mark this key step forward in New York’s rigorous renewable siting process.

“We understand the responsibility that comes with developing a project of this scale, and we are committed to meeting all regulatory requirements, engaging openly with the community, and delivering a project that balances environmental stewardship with energy reliability and economic value for Columbia County and beyond,” he wrote.

The project has been a flashpoint for the town since it initially was discussed in 2017, then envisioned as a 60-megawatt solar farm to be located near the intersection of Routes 23 and 7. The project was later downsized after the company lost control of a portion of the land designated for the project.

In February, State Sen. Michelle Hinchey, D-41, and State Assemblywoman Didi Barrett, D-106, both expressed concerns about the project in letters to ORES and to Gov. Kathy Hochul, respectively.

In his September message to residents, Copake Town Supervisor Richard Wolf wrote: “As we wait to see whether ORES will issue a third notice or grant Hecate a draft permit, we will continue to press our major concerns about the proposal, which include woefully inadequate screening with saplings instead of mature trees, lack of compensation for adjacent homeowners, clear-cutting of forested areas, and fire safety. Project components would be adjacent to the Taconic Hills School campus. There are no evacuation plans for the 1,400 students, teachers, and staff; an access road to other areas of the proposed project crosses a stream, goes through wetlands, and is too narrow to permit passage of a fire truck should a fire occur.”

Besides opposition to the siting of the project in Copake, Hecate has faced headwinds in court. A Brazilian buyout fund has filed a motion in Delaware Chancery Court to intervene in a case involving concerns about Hecate’s financial solvency. LCM Fund, a creditor to Hecate, filed a motion on Aug. 26, following a motion brought in the same court by another creditor, NEC VI, which loaned Hecate $82 million and which is seeking a restraining order against the Chicago-based developer of solar, wind and energy storage projects.