Bethlehem solar project gets extension and approvals needed to finish
— Photo from town of Bethlehem
Selkirk Solar aims to finish construction of this 5-megawatt solar facility at 354 South Albany Road in Selkirk by the end of October.
BETHLEHEM — A mid-size solar facility in Selkirk will be able to receive its finishing touches after the developer, Selkirk Solar LLC, was granted an extension and an updated approval from the Bethlehem Planning Board this month.
The 5-megawatt facility was approved by the planning board in 2022, and has largely been completed, but unforeseen issues during the construction process meant the developer exceeded its deadline to finish the project.
One such issue was that plans to build a porous access road turned out to be impossible because of subsurface conditions, meaning that different stormwater-prevention measures were necessary. In September of last year, the town issued a stop-work order over stormwater-prevention violations.
As recently as last month, the town still had concerns with the plan — many related to elements missing from the site plans.
Project engineer Joe Hens noted at the planning board’s May meeting that they were down to a few “technical comments.”
The extension, granted unanimously by the board, gives the developer until the end of October to finish the project.
“We’re looking forward to getting this project completed and built,” Hens said.
