Black River Solar Center

Le Ray, Jefferson County · Northline Energy · Docket 22-F-0388

Solar + StorageDecisionApproved w/ ConditionsORES 25MW+

180 MW of solar plus a 40 MW / 160 MWh battery across 1,140 acres in Le Ray and Pamelia. Permitted by ORES under 94-c with conditions on avian monitoring, glare, and a Fort Drum coordination protocol.

Developer

Northline Energy

Location

Le Ray, Jefferson County

Capacity

180 MW + 160 MWh

Docket

22-F-0388

Next milestone

Jul 15, 2025

34Low

Risk score

Opposition intensity 67/100 across 4 tracked actors and 7 filed documents.

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Permitting Timeline(7 milestones)Every recorded procedural event on this docket, with the actor responsible and whether the outcome helped or hurt the project.Every recorded procedural event on this docket, with the actor responsible and whether the outcome helped or hurt the project.

1 adverse event

Jan 24, 202394-c application submitted to ORESProcedural
Northline Energy
Docket 22-F-0388; 1,140 acres under option across 14 landowners.
May 16, 2023Municipality files a substantive local law waiver challengeAdverse
Town of Le Ray
Argued the town's 2022 setback law was not unreasonably burdensome; ORES rejected the claim in October.
Sep 12, 2023Intervenor funding awardedProcedural
NYS ORES
$118K distributed, $71K of it to a coalition that retained counsel from an out-of-state firm.
Feb 8, 2024Adjudicatory hearing on glare and avian impactProcedural
ORES Administrative Law Judge
Fort Drum airspace glare modelling accepted; grassland bird mitigation acreage disputed.
Sep 27, 2024Permit issued with 23 conditionsFavourable
NYS ORES
Includes 210 acres of grassland bird offset, a glare protocol with Fort Drum, and quarterly monitoring.
Nov 14, 2024Article 78 petition filed and dismissedFavourable
North Country Preservation Alliance
Albany County Supreme Court dismissed for lack of standing; no appeal filed within the window.
Jul 15, 2025Pre-construction compliance filing dueUpcoming
Northline Energy
Final grading, decommissioning surety, and the avian monitoring plan for year one.

Full docket historyFiled Jan 24, 2023 · decided Sep 27, 2024

Opposition at this Project(39 appearances)Organizations and individuals recorded in hearing minutes, filings, and monitored channels for this docket.Organizations and individuals recorded in hearing minutes, filings, and monitored channels for this docket.

All actors Funding network

Arguments Deployed(105 statements)Every recorded public statement on this docket, classified into the platform's argument taxonomy.Every recorded public statement on this docket, classified into the platform's argument taxonomy.

105Statements

Dominant framing

Environmental Impact accounts for 39% of statements on this docket — hover a category for the counter-framing note.

Trace these narratives

Documents & Filings(7)Source documents ingested for this project: ORES and local board filings, adopted local laws, hearing minutes, studies, and press coverage.Source documents ingested for this project: ORES and local board filings, adopted local laws, hearing minutes, studies, and press coverage.

Open in knowledgebase

Recommended Counter-Measures(3)Interventions ranked by expected impact on this specific decision point, drawn from the counter-measures playbook.Interventions ranked by expected impact on this specific decision point, drawn from the counter-measures playbook.

Pillar 3

Open full playbook