Dan de Boer, interim CEO and head of Infrastructure at Greenbacker, the project’s green energy investment company, noted: “This is the first permit of its kind issued by ORES for a project application initially filed under Section 94-c rules.” Greenbacker secured $950 million in financing to support the acquisition, construction, and operation of the facility, which is expected to generate 920,000 MWh of renewable electricity annually, enough to power about 120,000 households across Genesee, Livingston, Orleans, Wyoming, and Allegany counties.
Developed by Hecate Energy, the project has appointed PEC Construction Management as the owner’s representative to oversee on-site activities during construction. Brent O’Connor, who leads business and corporate development for PEC, stated: “Developers and investors recognize that having their own professional representation on-site throughout the construction process is essential for utility scale projects.” He added: “For large projects, the company usually deploys five to seven owner’s representatives, ensuring comprehensive oversight throughout all construction phases, from pre-construction to commissioning and final closeout.”
Construction began in November 2024, with completion projected for the fourth quarter of 2026, when the plant is expected to start commercial operations. Spanning 2,500 acres, the Cider Solar Farm will incorporate an agrivoltaic plan, allocating around 300 acres initially for dual-use activities like sheep grazing, with the potential to expand rotational grazing to over 1,000 acres during its operational life. The facility will feature 955,724 Canadian Solar modules, Array Technologies trackers, and 134 Sungrow inverters.
The project is anticipated to create hundreds of jobs during construction and contribute $100 million in tax revenue to local governments, supporting schools, fire departments, and other community services. It has secured an environmental permit from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and a corporate permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, with full interconnection rights to the NYPA 435kV Dysinger-New Rochester Transmission line.
By adding 500 MW of solar capacity, the Cider Solar Farm advances New York’s goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2040, building on the state’s 6.6 GW of installed solar capacity as of late 2024, which meets 8% of its electricity needs.
