HomeMy WebLinkAbout2020.09.10 LAC-PPF MinutesMinutes
Lansing Advisory Commi4ee on Power Plant Future (LAC-PPF)
Date: 9.10.20
Time: 7 p.m. Virtual MeeGng
A4ending members: Derek Osborne, Sue Ruoff, Hilary Lambert, Lauren Chambliss, Bert Bland, Bill
Klepack. Absent with noGce: Eileen Stout, Robb Je4y. Also a4ending: CJ Randall, Bronwyn Losey. Guests
from Cayuga Power Plant and sPower: Michael Farrell, Jerry Goodenough, John Marabella, Chris
Wentlent.
The LAC-PPF held its September meeGng virtually. For the first half an hour the board discussed internal
ma4ers and the status of recent grant applicaGons, including the POWER 2020 grant applicaGon to
increase broadbrand in the county and bandwidth capacity at the Power Plant, proposed by TCAD,
Heorot Power, & Lansing; the chances for funding look posiGve. NYSERDA also appears inclined to
approve a groundbreaking geo-thermal neighborhood for Ladoga Park at Myer’s Point, which may be
one of the first such neighborhood energy projects in the country.
The rest of the meeGng was devoted to a discussion with representaGves of the proposed large-scale
solar farm at the Cayuga Power Plant, including Michael Farrell, Senior Manager, sPower, Chris Wentlent,
energy consultant, and plant managers, Jerry Goodenough and John Marabella. The discussions were
follow-up to a full Town Board presentaGon the night before. sPower is proposing to build a 100-200 MW
site, using exisGng power plant electric infrastructure and a porGon of the land. sPower is also in talks
with NYSEG about acquiring part of a nearly 450+ acre undeveloped tract of land north of the plant, and
it will need to acquire addiGonal private land to site the solar farm, which could be the largest
installaGon in New York. At the meeGng, Jerry Goodenough discussed the state of plans to convert the
exisGng power plant facility and remaining land to a data center and said the solar farm installaGon
would support that transiGon, which is currently moving very slowly. Among other things, the advisory
commi4ee discussed the status of the coal ash pile, the status of the transiGon to data center, the
relaGonship between sPower and Heorot Power, the state regulatory environment, and other quesGons
about the proposed solar installaGon and its impact on the community.