Hecate considers local input before submitting application

COPAKE — Between the dramatic changes made to its original proposal and the recommendations made by the working group Craryville Gateway, renewable power projects developer Hecate Energy is on its way to submitting a solar project that will hopefully satisfy both the developer and the Copake community.

As of this time, Hecate intended to file its application to Office of Renewable Energy Siting (ORES) on Tuesday, March 8, the day this paper goes to press.

Considering how Hecate has been changing its project dramatically during the past two years, Hecate Energy Project Developer Alex Campbell said, “I’m very proud of the project that has come out at the end of this. I think the community is very happy with the things we’ve been able to achieve together, which is key, and there’s still a long way to go.

“This is not the end by any means,” he said, “and we’re really inspired by what the working group has been able to accomplish and bring together a variety of different types of stakeholders to come up with a set of recommendations that’s broad and truly focuses on community benefits, which is why we’re trying to do this together.”

Hecate first went to the Copake Town Board in the spring of 2017 to present a proposal for a solar installation in the town of Copake.

The original proposal detailed roughly 500 acres inside a fence on several non-contiguous areas along routes 23 and 7. Additionally, Campbell said the original plan was not a co-utilization plan and entailed regular chainlink fencing.

Hecate later returned to Copake in early 2020 to propose a new project, Shepherd’s Run, which entails installing a 60-megawatt (MW) photovoltaic solar facility along the Copake property proposed in the original.

This new co-utilization project includes 221 acres inside the fence and uses wildlife-friendly fencing.

Last summer, Hecate stated its intent to file its project application to ORES under New York State’s 94-C process, which requires renewable energy projects larger than 25 MW to be permitted by ORES. An amended notice of intent to file was submitted this past December, with plans to file on or about Friday, Feb. 18.

Catching Hecate before the Feb. 18 deadline, Craryville Gateway, a group of environmental organizations concerned about the town’s future, held a virtual meeting last month and then presented the developer with the its vision for a redesigned Shepherd’s Run. Its hope was for a win-win for Copake’s environment, agriculture, residents and economy. Hecate was asked to “pause” submitting its application and consider both Craryville Gateway’s and the public’s recommendations.

Campbell said Hecate has been working with Craryville Gateway during the past few months, incorporating the vast majority of its recommendations into the Shepherd’s Run plan.

“We’re extremely excited for all the ideas and recommendations the working group presented,” Campbell said. “From our perspective, we’re very proud we had a real community involvement process where we’ve integrated many concepts and recommendations into the project, and the project is completely different from where we had it two years ago and that is because of local input and stakeholder engagement.”

After Craryville Gateway’s public presentation on Feb. 17, Campbell said he’s had a number of calls and meetings with the working group. He explained Hecate is continuing to refine the plans after the working group suggested it formulate a “quasi-private partnership model.”

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