Partly cloudy. Areas of patchy fog developing. Low 57F. Winds light and variable..
Partly cloudy. Areas of patchy fog developing. Low 57F. Winds light and variable.
Updated: August 18, 2026 @ 8:01 pm
A map of the properties owned by DESRI where a large-scale solar farm is set to be built.
A map of the properties owned by DESRI where a large-scale solar farm is set to be built.
ATHENS — Representatives from a 1,600-acre solar farm project in Athens and Coxsackie said construction will begin in the fall.
The Flint Mine Solar Farm will cover 1,638 acres of land privately leased by the developer, which spans the towns of Coxsackie and Athens. Once completed, the solar panels will be connected to the electric grid, supplying energy to the grid.
The solar farm is being developed by DESRI, which took over the project in 2022 from Hudson Energy Developments and Amber Infrastructure. DESRI, a New York City-based company, focuses on the development of renewable energy projects, according to the company’s website.
DESRI Executive Director of Project Management Susan Moberg attended an Athens Town Board meeting Monday night to take questions from the public and provide “informal updates” on the project, she said.
“It (soil testing) started last week, but it’s continuing this week, and into next week,” Moberg said at the meeting. “We have some very limited geotechnical work occurring on the site. There are operators using skid steers, which is a pretty small piece of equipment, doing probes into the soil to test the resistance and drivability of the soil.”
Moberg said The company is hoping to be fully ready to begin construction within the next few months, she added.
“We are looking to get the (state) Public Service Commission’s approval to mobilize for construction this fall,” Moberg said. “We’ll be starting that, ideally, in September, with limited mowing on the project site, which will mostly be happening in Coxsackie.”
The commission regulates and approves utility projects in the state.
“We expect to have our full mobilization in late October or early November, and construction will continue through 2027 and wrap up in early 2028,” Moberg said.
Athens town resident James Huston asked Moberg at the meeting about waterflow rates on the planned site in the event of flooding after large storms, including hurricanes and the storm that flooded the county July 29.
“If you look at (Hurricane) Irene, and now you look at the latest storm of over 10 inches, we’ve had two 1,000-year events in 15 years,” Huston said. “It’s no longer a 1,000-year event, right? So, you’re building towards minimums, state minimums, but those haven’t been updated as far as the(water)flow. So, I’m concerned about the flow rates when you clear the land, what that means for sediment, for chemicals.”
Moberg clarified that the company is not designing project to the lowest qualifications with regard to safety.
“We’re not designing to a minimum; we’re designing to the standards that the state has established,” Moberg said. “And as Jennifer (Crawford, an engineer working on the project) was describing, there is a provision in the current general permit that requires that you design and consider climate change and increases in precipitation because, as you noted, it can take a while for regulations to catch up to what’s occurring. So, that’s what our design will account for.”
Athens resident Eddie Lenzo, who lives near the site of the planned solar farm, asked by many questions about the project, with one that focused on the materials that solar panels are made of for the farm.
The wire insulation DESRI plans to use for the solar panels, if they caught fire, releases “highly toxic gases,” like cadmium and lead, and others, Lenzo said.
“So, if there is a fire in the middle of the woods, nothing we could do is going to stop that,” Lenzo said. “That’s basically like having a chemical spill in the middle of the woods, if you will, where there’s cadmium, nickel and so on. Are there any preventative measures (to prevent) that from that going into the soil, from being emitted into the air, from my kid breathing that when that’s on fire?”
Another Athens resident, Karen Dudley, who is running for town supervisor in November, asked what resources DESRI will provide to local fire companies to fight a potential blaze.
“Was there anything in the agreement saying that you’re going to put any money into the firehouse for this foam, powder, whatever it is, that we only need to use for the solar?” Dudley asked. “And is there training involved that they need to do this?”
Moberg said the materials and training will be paid for and provided by DESRI.
“It’s being paid for by the project,” Moberg said. “We’re providing annual training. We’ve met at least twice with the fire departments for Athens, Coxsackie and Greene County, as well as the emergency responders, the ambulance personnel. And, yes, we will have an agreement to provide a (fire) truck, I think.”
Lenzo asked about the possibility of having an oversight committee for the project, instead of just the town’s code enforcement officer having to walk around 1,600 acres of land.
“So that it’s not just your word of what’s going on in the middle of the woods,” Lenzo said. “That someone from the Town Board, or locally ,could volunteer to go back there and see what’s actually happening, to see what’s being done with the slope of the land and not just an engineering firm that’s paid for by you guys [DESRI]. Someone who lives in this town and is affected by the project.”
Moberg said that is unlikely.
“I think we would take that into consideration, but it’s I think unlikely that we would allow that,” Moberg said.
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