Stormont ‘solar farm’ proposal advances

Middlesex Supervisors voted unanimously on Tuesday, Sept. 9 to begin talks with Dominion Energy to install a proposed solar farm (solar power generating site) on the “old” landfill property and the adjacent Thacker property at Stormont.

Middlesex County issued in April a Request for Proposal (RFP) to solar energy developers to lease land owned by the county to install, own, operate and maintain a solar farm.

The county received two RFPs back last month. The board then authorized staff to engage the Berkley Group to assist in evaluating the submissions, working alongside county officials Chip England, Marc Longest and AnnMarie Ricardi.

The Berkley Group said in the RFP that “while both proposals were strong, the review concluded that the Dominion Energy proposal best meets the county’s needs based on the criteria.”

The old landfill site has an area of approximately 60.18 acres with streams/creeks on either side of the property. The Thacker property has an area of approximately 35.4 acres with stream/creek bisecting the southwestern portion of the property. About twenty acres of the Thacker property are wooded, while 13.4 acres are open and useable for solar panels, states the RFP.

Dominion’s offer

The Dominion RFP offers to lease the properties from the county for $1,960,254 over 25 years. It was for $36,000 per year/$1,000 per acre for the Thacker Property and $25,200 per year/$700 per acre for the landfill property, with an annual 2% escalation.