-
64,000 homes Supplied with electricity
Technical data
- Site technologyGround-mounted solar panels
Fort Covington solar project
at a glance
Fort Covington Solar is a 250 MW solar facility being developed by Boralex to be located in the Town of Fort Covington in Franklin County, New York. Currently in mid-stage development, the facility is expected to be commissioned in Q4 2027. The project is subject to the New York State 94-c permitting procedures and will keep stakeholders updated throughout the process.
- Boralex will continue to work with the host towns, host counties and other local stakeholders to ensure the project is properly integrated into the community.
Latest update
NYSERDA Contract signed
On Wednesday, May 21, 2025 the New York State Research and Energy Development Authority (NYSERDA) announced it entered into a Renewable Energy Standard Agreement with Boralex for the Fort Covington Solar Facility. This marks a significant milestone in the development of the project. More details are available in the media library.
Public comment hearing
The state Office of Renewable Energy Siting and Electric Transmission (ORES) has scheduled a Public Comment Hearing which will be held at the Fort Covington Senior Citizens Center, 2526 Chateaugay Street, Fort Covington, NY 12936 on Tuesday, June 17, 2025, at 6:00 p.m.
A letter with more details on the Public Comment Hearing was sent to all residents within 1-mile of the proposed facility. A copy of that letter is available in the media library.
Update
As a result of the transfer of the electronic case file in this matter from the ORES Portal to DMM, the case number has been changed from ORES Permit Application No. 23-00052 to ORES DMM Matter No. 23-02990
On July 16, 2024, Boralex submitted its 94-c application for Fort Covington Solar to the Office of Renewable Energy Siting. To track progress on the application please visit here. Prior to the application submittal, a 3-day NOI was sent to all owners of residences within 1-mile of the project facility, as well any and all applicable lawmakers and municipalities. Ads were also placed in the Malone Telegram, Adirondack Daily Enterprise and the Free Trader. A copy of the notice is available here. For additional information, including how to apply for Local Agency Account Fund, please review the information on this website.
For more information about the Project, including the ability to subscribe to application notices, please visit the ORES website (https://ores.ny.gov/permit-applications under ORES Matter No. 23-00052) or contact Fort Covington Solar at:
Fort Covington Solar, LLC
Attn: Zack Hutchins
c/o Boralex, Inc.
39 Hudson Falls Road
South Glens Falls, NY 12803
Phone: 518.727.6155
Email: Zachary.hutchins@boralex.com
The application may be examined during normal business hours at the Office of Renewable Energy Siting and the following local document repositories: Fort Covington Town Hall, 2510 Chateaugay Street, Fort Covington, New York 12828 and Wead Library, 64 Elm Street, Malone, New York 12953.
Pursuant to 19 NYCRR § 900-1.5, Fort Covington Solar will submit with the Application $1,000 dollars for each MW of capacity for local agencies and potential intervenors, which for this project totals $250,000. Any local agency or potential community intervenor can submit a request to the Office of Renewable Energy Siting and Electric Transmission for funding within thirty (30) days of the date of the application filing. Of the available local agency account funds, 75% shall be reserved for local agencies.
- Intervenor requests can be mailed to: Office of Renewable Energy Siting and Electric Transmission, Attn: Request for Local Agency Account Funding Request (Matter No. 23-00052 – Fort Covington Solar, LLC), c/o OGS Mailroom, Empire State Plaza, 240 State Street, P-1 South, J Dock, Albany, NY 12242; or emailed to: hearings@ores.ny.gov | Subject line: Local Agency Account Funding Request (Matter No. 23-00052 – Fort Covington Solar, LLC).
For General Inquiries, please contact ORES via the following methods:
Mailing Information (letters and envelopes):
Office of Renewable Energy Siting (ORES)
c/o: OGS Mailroom
Empire State Plaza
P-1 South, J Dock
Albany, NY 12242
Phone: (518) 473-4590
Email: general@ores.ny.gov
Permitting process
Currently in mid-stage development, the facility is expected to be commissioned in Q4 2027.
Boralex has begun to engage with the local community (e.g. landowner, town and county representatives, state officials, school districts and groups of interest) and will pursue this consultation process throughout all phases of development and operations.
Environmental and permitting activities began in Q3 2021 and will be governed under the new 94-c state permitting process through the Office of Renewable Energy Siting (ORES). Permitting activities are expected to span throughout 2022 and 2023. All project infrastructure will be situated in such a manner as to respect municipal, state, and federal regulations as well as taking into consideration feedback from residents and other stakeholders.
Once Boralex submits its application (expected in Q2 of 2024) the company is subject to Subpart 900-5 of the regulations, in which a 94-c Application requires $1,000 per 1,000 kilowatts of the project’s nameplate capacity, which for this project means Boralex will deposit $250,000 in the Local Agency Account Fund (LAAF).
75% of the of Local Agency Account funds shall be reserved for local agencies. Subject to ORES approval, the funds can be used to defray expenses for expert review, or local agencies will use the funds to determine whether a proposed facility is designed to be sited, constructed, and operated in compliance with applicable local laws. Any local agency or potential community intervenor shall submit a request for initial funding within 30 days of the date of the application filing.
- Go to https://dps.ny.gov/system/files/documents/2024/09/request-for-local-agency-account-funding-2024-08-20.pdf for a form with instructions on how to submit a LAAF request. Requests can be submitted via email (hearings@ores.ny.gov) or mail (ORES, Attn: Local Agency Account Fund Request [Matter No. 23-00052], c/o OGS Mailroom, Empire State Plaza, 240 State Street, P-1 South, J Dock, Albany, NY 12242).
Project benefits
Multi-use agricultural plan
Responsible solar development can improve soil health, retain water, nurture native species, and produce food. Current solar racking provides ample space between panels, allowing for maintaining traditional use of the land—while also generating new, reliable income for the farmer. Working with local and state stakeholders, Boralex’s adaptive agricultural plans may include:
- Growing hay or shade-tolerant crops
- Animal grazing
- Seeding to enhance pollination or carbon sequestration
Boralex has successfully implemented multi-use on our operational solar facilities. We are continuously seeking input from the local agricultural community on new multi-use options in harmony with the local agricultural economy.
Open House
Boralex held a public open house on Wednesday, December 13, 2023, ahead of our expected 94-c application submission in 2024. Thank you to all who attended. Boralex previously held a public open house in March 2023 in Fort Covington. Materials from those event can be found below.
Photo courtesy of Akwesasne Travel, who had this to say about Boralex’s involvement: Procuring our Mainstage Sponsor this year from Boralex allowed us to make our event special to all who participated. We were able to elevate the event monumentally from the first year to the second due to this generous sponsorship, and for that we are incredibly appreciative.
Environmental and Health Impacts
The Facility has been designed to avoid habitat to the extent practicable, and Boralex will mitigate for regulated activities in occupied habitat.
The Facility has been designed to avoid State and Federal wetlands and waterbodies to the extent practicable, and Boralex will mitigate for regulated activities in wetlands and waterbodies.
All findings of the Visual Impact Assessment are provided in the Article VIII application, and planting plans are proposed to reduce Facility visibility.
The well survey identified one active water well on a participating parcel that is within 100-feet of a proposed solar array support post; therefore, Boralex will use the permitted earth screws to install this array support system.
Archaeological surveys identified two sites near the Facility that are potentially elligible for National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) classification. Boralex revised the Facility design to avoid both sites and their 50-foot buffers, and submitted an Avoidance Plan detailing the protective measures that will be taken during construction to further avoid and protect these areas.
Documents
