There will be two virtual public hearings Tuesday on the proposal of Riverhead Solar 2 to construct and operate a 36 megawatt solar energy generating facility on approximately 252 acres in Calverton.
The facility will be connected to PSEG Long Island’s bulk electric transmission system at the existing Edwards Avenue substation via an underground generation tie line that crosses the town roadway.
Riverhead Solar 2 is a wholly owned subsidiary of FTP Power, known as sPower, which already operates Riverhead Solar 1, a 20 megawatt solar energy generating facility in Calverton.
The public statement hearings will be held by the New York State Board on Electric Generation Siting and the Environment, which is responsible for reviewing and approving the facility under Article 10 of the State Public Service Law.
Since the size of the proposed solar facility exceeds 25 MW, review and permitting jurisdiction for this project rests exclusively with the state, under legislation that took effect in 2011. Other solar facilities built and in progress in Riverhead Town, all in the same area of Calverton, were smaller and within the town’s jurisdiction.
Virtual information sessions will be held immediately prior to the public statement hearings. During the information sessions, the applicant’s representatives will provide a brief overview of the company’s proposal, the Siting Board said in a press release yesterday. In addition, Siting Board examiners will provide a brief overview of the Public Service Law Article 10 siting review process.
Documents pertaining to this proceeding may be reviewed online at the Department of Public Service website here — or visit www.dps.ny.gov and search for Case 17-F-0655.
The virtual information sessions and public statement hearings will take place at 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. Tuesday (Dec. 1).
The hearings will be live-streamed online on the Department of Public Service YouTube channel.
Interested persons can also listen to the hearings by phone by calling (518) 549-0500 and entering access code 173 822 6900 .
Anyone who wants to make a statement at either hearing must register in advance by 5 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 27.
Interested persons who will login to the hearing online should register at webex.com. Click the “Register” link on the left under the “Event Information: Riverhead Solar 2 (Case 17-F-0655)” heading and provide all requested information.
Interested persons who will join the hearing by phone must register by calling 1-800-342-3330, follow prompts to the appropriate hearing and provide their first and last name, address and phone number.
To join the 1 p.m. hearing online, go to www.webex.com and enter event number 173 822 6900 and password: Dec1-1pm .
To join the 6 p.m. hearing online, go to www.webex.com and enter event number 173 822 6900 and password: Dec1-6pm .
To join either hearing by phone, call (518) 549-0500 and enter
access code: 173 822 6900.
All participants will be muted upon entry into the hearing. The examiners will call on each person who has registered to make a statement. Each public statement hearing will be held open until everyone who has registered to speak has been heard or other reasonable arrangements to submit comments into the record have been made.
Time limits may be set for each speaker as necessary. It is recommended that lengthy comments be submitted in writing and summarized for oral presentation. A verbatim transcript of the hearing will be made for inclusion in the record of this case.
Persons with disabilities requiring special accommodations should call the Department of Public Service’s Human Resources Management Office at (518) 474-2520 as soon as possible. TDD users may request a sign language interpreter by placing a call through the New York Relay Service at 711. Individuals with difficulty understanding or reading English are encouraged to call the department at 1-800-342-3377 for free language assistance services regarding this notice.
Written comments may be submitted through the DPS website, by email to the secretary to the Siting Board at secretary@dps.ny.gov or by mail to Michelle L. Phillips, secretary, New York State Board on Electric Generation Siting and the Environment, Three Empire State Plaza, Albany, New York 12223-1350.
All written comments will become part of the record considered by the Siting Board and may be accessed on the Department of Public Service website by searching the case number and clicking on the “Public Comments” tab.
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