Pilot Approved for Major Solar Project in Ripley

RIPLEY, N.Y.: — On January 25, 2022, the County of Chautauqua Industrial Development Agency (CCIDA) approved incentives for ConnectGen Chautauqua County LLC’s South Ripley Solar Project, a 270 megawatt (MW) large-scale solar project located in South Ripley, wholly located within the town boundaries of Ripley. The Project will include a 20 MW battery energy storage component.

“This is a project that ConnectGen and the community have been working on for a couple of years,” said Mark Geise, Deputy County Executive for Economic Development/Chief Executive Officer of the County of Chautauqua Industrial Development Agency. “The built-in certainty of guaranteed revenue made possible by the PILOT and Host Community Agreements will allow Ripley and Chautauqua County to make long-term financial plans, and I’m glad that the CCIDA could assist the Town and ConnectGen in making it a reality.” 

Doug Bowen, Town of Ripley Supervisor said, “This has been a long and sometimes challenging project; however, at the end of the day the revenue from this project will benefit the citizens of the Town for many years to come.”

ConnectGen has worked since late 2018 to introduce the Project to the Ripley community, meet with state agencies and local municipalities, and perform environmental studies. In August 2021, ConnectGen filed a 94-c Application for the Project, which provides extensive details regarding project design, environmental review, economic and community benefits, and potential impacts and mitigations. Subject to the receipt of necessary permits, it is anticipated that Project construction will commence in late 2022. The project is not expected to impact local farmlands currently producing dairy or cultivating vineyards.

Chautauqua County Executive PJ Wendel said, “This project is a win for the Town of Ripley, Chautauqua County, and the State of New York. We are thrilled that we have the land and infrastructure to attract this clean energy project to our area.” Through the PILOT and Host Community Agreements, the Project is expected to contribute over $60 million in increased revenue to local taxing jurisdictions including the Town of Ripley, Chautauqua County, the Sherman Central School District, the Ripley Central School District, and the Ripley Volunteer Fire Department over its 30-plus-year lifespan. In addition to the local tax benefits, local landowners are expected to receive more than

$30 million in long-term revenue in the form of solar leases, easement agreements, and good neighbor agreements.

The CCIDA Board of Directors unanimously approved a 30-year payment-in-lieu-of-taxes (PILOT) agreement, sales tax abatements, and a mortgage recording tax abatement for the project.  According to Linda Burns, CCIDA Project Manager, the estimated financial incentive package over the 30-year term is valued at approximately $88 million, while the projected state and regional benefits that are expected to result from the project are estimated at $238 million – a benefit to cost ratio of 3:1.

The company estimates that construction of the Project will create up to 200 family-wage construction jobs.  Once completed, the project will require two to four full time jobs for ongoing monitoring and maintenance. Through its contracts with the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) and the Jamestown Board of Public Utilities, the project will contribute a significant amount of renewable energy to assist the State of New York in achieving its Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act goal to obtain 70% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030, supplying enough electricity to power more than 55,000 average New York homes annually.

ConnectGen Chief Executive Officer, Caton Fenz, said “We want to thank the County of Chautauqua Industrial Development Agency staff and board members, who put a tremendous amount of effort into our PILOT negotiations.  This agreement is a significant milestone for the project and the county, and we are excited for the opportunity to contribute hundreds of millions of dollars in private investment, tens of millions of dollars in new tax revenues for Chautauqua County, the Town of Ripley, and the Ripley and Sherman School Districts, and more than 200 family-wage jobs during the construction process.”

For more information about the South Ripley Solar Project, please visit www.southripleysolar.com or email info@southripleysolar.com.

About the CCIDA – The CCIDA is an economic development organization authorized and empowered by the State of New York to make Chautauqua County a better place to work, live, and visit. It facilitates development by attracting new businesses, while promoting the retention and expansion of existing businesses. Assistance in the form of incentives – tax abatements, low interest loans, and bond financing – enhances the opportunities for job creation and retention by our businesses.  For addition information about the CCIDA, please visit our website at www.ccida.com.