Council approves permitting agreement for Wolf Neck solar project tied to county wastewater lagoon
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Summary
Engineering staff presented a permitting agreement for the Wolf Neck solar project, described as a county-integrated solar facility that will tie into the county's wastewater infrastructure; the council approved the permitting agreement to keep the project on schedule.
Sussex County Council on July 22 approved a permitting agreement for the solar project at Wolf Neck that engineering staff said is linked to county wastewater infrastructure and a planned 10-megawatt facility.
County engineering staff said the solar installation functions as an ancillary use and helps serve as a lagoon cover; the arrangement was described as yielding a multimillion-dollar benefit by reducing algae control costs. Staff said the county is coordinating an interconnection and feeder-line upgrades with the utility and that project developers were finalizing financing associated with federal tax credits that must be placed before year-end.
The permitting agreement before council clarified the county's review role for the leases the county previously approved and did not replace separate permitting by other agencies such as the fire marshal or the conservation district. Engineering staff presented the agreement and asked for council approval so the project would remain on schedule; council members voted to approve the permitting agreement by recorded vote.
The motion on the floor referenced leases and the permitting agreement for the project; council members recorded affirmative votes and the motion carried. Engineering staff said further project steps include coordinating interconnection with the utility and finalizing lease conditions.