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A proposed solar electric generation facility in Poland will have to wait after residents voted earlier this month to put a six-month moratorium on all commercial solar projects.
The project proposes a .999-megawatt array at 206 Poland Corner Road. The footprint would cover about 6.5 acres across 21 abutting properties, according to information provided to the Poland Planning Board.
The array would be managed by PE Copernicus LLC of Yarmouth, a subsidiary of a North Carolina-based solar company.
The project was given the green light Feb. 10 by the Poland Planning Board and sent along to the Select Board for final approval.
At a March 3 Select Board meeting, some residents registered their concerns, which included the speed of the project, environmental impact and whether it would benefit the town.
The same day, the Select Board voted 3-2 against a moratorium on commercial solar projects that would have given the town time to review and possibly amend its ordinances.
At the time, Select Board members said the project was on private property and the landowner has rights to use it reasonably. The solar company’s proposal met requirements and had done its due diligence on the site, they said.
Resident Gordon Collins said he learned about the project from an abutting landowner. He said the town should have notified residents about it in order to give time for public input.
“I believe in communication in this town, but it was weird that the only thing put forth by the Planning Board was a permit on so-and so’s property,” Collins said. “This was just the first moment where we realized these things just slip in under the cover of darkness, and there’s not a good communication or process or plan for it.”
Following the March 3 meeting, Collins and other residents began circulating a petition to put the moratorium up for a townwide vote under a citizen initiative.
The group needed 125 signatures to force a vote at the June 9 election; Collins said they were able to get 165. On Election Day, residents voted 761-611 in favor of the moratorium.
The six-month moratorium ends on Dec. 9. In the meantime, Collins said he and his group will be working with the Select Board to see how the proposed project would impact the town and to push for language in the town’s Land Use Code banning all commercial solar projects from the town’s commercial and residential areas.
Collins said that in discussions about solar projects, he would like the board to ensure any project contributes to the town’s tax base and that developers are required to put money aside for cleanup and mitigation if the company abandons the project.
“We’re not against bringing in new projects,” said Collins at the March 3 meeting. “But it becomes clear when a project is surrounding 21 landowners that we have some concerns on where these projects are being put in.”
The town of Poland has one solar farm, the Peppertree Solar Farm, located off Lewiston Junction Road. It generates 6.9 gigawatt-hours of power annually, about five times more than the one proposed for Poland Corner Road.
Collins said the moratorium effort does not suggest residents don’t want the project, but rather they want it placed in another location, with more research done, before moving forward.
“The moratorium is just to put the brakes on the project and make certain this benefits the town, aligns with what we want,” Collins said.
Rich Jordan, who represents PE Copernicus LLC, called the decision for the moratorium “frustrating.” He said it felt like the effort was targeting the project more than the solar industry in general.
Jordan said he couldn’t comment on whether the homeowner and PE Copernicus LLC will wait out the moratorium’s full six months.
Matthew is a staff writer for the Lewiston Sun Journal covering the Lewiston and Auburn areas. Before joining the Sun Journal, Matthew covered news in the Bangor area before moving to Lewiston to cover… More by Matthew Jaroncyk
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