Claremont Planning Board grants extension for solar array

CLAREMONT — A planned 4.99 megawatt solar array off Grissom Lane that the Planning Board approved two years ago is expected to be operational by the end of next year, the owners of Power Investment LLC told the board Monday night.

On Monday, the board unanimously approved a 12-month extension to the site plan, which is on top of a previously approved two-month extension. Site plans expire after two years.

Power Investment owner James Cialdea told the board they had hoped to begin construction shortly after the October 2022 site plan approval but ran into several delays. In addition to some financing issues, Cialdea said there were also equipment delays, along with delays in agreements to sell the power. The company is still negotiating an interconnection agreement with ISO New England, a nonprofit that manages the electricity grid and wholesale electricity markets for the region.

The company now has all the equipment in storage, Cialdea said. Construction is slated to begin once the weather improves in the spring. The array is expected to go on line by the end of 2025.

It would be built on a 20-acre parcel Power Investments purchased in 2017, which abuts the former Wheelabrator incinerator.

— Patrick O’Grady