Indian Time - A Voice from the Eastern Door

By Andy Gardner

MASSENA. A representative from the company trying to build the North Side Energy Center solar project says he expects the project to start in late 2022 and be operational the following year.

Kris Scornavacca from NextEra Energy Resources, the project’s parent company, talked about the solar farm with the Town Council during their Wednesday, Nov. 18 meeting.

He said they are still going through getting state regulatory approval. If they get to the construction phase, it will create 200 or more construction jobs.

He told the board that their contractor who builds the project, and any subcontractors, will be required to pay laborers the prevailing wage.

“There are all kinds of opportunities in there for local people to get involved,” Scornavacca said, adding that they want to “draw from the local labor pool as much as we possibly can.”

Councilor Sue Bellor asked if the board could be updated on the number of local people getting hired for the project. Scornavacca they’re required to track that, and they can make reports to the town lawmakers.

He said they have no contractor yet, but once they do “they’ll make their presence locally known, advertising for jobs, things like that when we get to that point.”

The lot where the project will go is on an approximate 2,200-acre chunk of land that is in the towns of Massena, Brasher and Norfolk. He said the actual solar farm will likely take up between 1,200 and 1,400 acres of that. They’ve worked out deals with local landowners for use of the lot, Scornavacca said.

Councilor Bob Elsner asked what they’re doing in case a nearby landowner “doesn’t want that next door or in their backyard.”

“We typically talk to lots and lots of people, not just the people we end up contracting with,” Scornavacca said. “Concerns people typically have are [view] concerns.”

“One of the ways we typically work with those landowners is with vegetative screening ... local to the area, that grows good,” he said.

Scornavacca said they are hoping to hold a public meeting in December where they present more detailed information on the project and take comments from the public.

“We’ll advertise it properly so as many people can attend as possible,” he said.

More information about the North Side project is online at northsideenergycenter.com and NextEra Energy’s website is nexteraenergyresources.com .