Boralex, a renewable energy developer known for work in the United Kingdom, France and Canada has made its entry into the U.S. utility-scale solar market in a big way, announcing that four projects totaling nearly 180 MW in capacity have been selected under the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority’s (NYSERDA) 2019 Renewable Energy Standard Solicitation.
All of the projects are set to be developed in upstate New York, with the portfolio’s headliner being the 120 MW Greens Corners Solar facility, set to be constructed in Watertown and Hounsfield in Jefferson County, New York, a three-hour drive northwest of Albany. The project will create 100 jobs during peak construction and it is expected to reach commercial operation by Q4 2023.
As for the other three projects in the portfolio: Like Greens Corners, the Sandy Creek Solar project will be located in Jefferson County, while the Bald Mountain Solar project will be located in Washington County and the West River project will be located in Saratoga County. All three of these projects will clock in just below 20 MW, will create 50 jobs during peak construction and are anticipated to come on-line by Q4 2023.
The request for proposals that led to the proposal of these projects was done in accordance with New York’s Green New Deal goal of achieving 70% of the state’s electricity from renewable energy by 2030. According to SEIA, the state has installed 1,893 MW of solar capacity to date, good for ninth in the nation.
