Solar farm pulls plug in Palmyra-Wayne: ECA says PPL wanted $2 million in fees

Among matters before Palmyra Township-Wayne County's supervisors September 6 was news that the company planning to build a solar energy farm has pulled out.

ECA Solar has withdrawn their application, Chairman Pete Steffen said. A letter to the township from the company which Steffen read aloud indicated that the electrical utility PPL was requiring a fee in excess of $2 million to connect the solar farm to the electrical grid. ECA Solar determined that the amount of the fee makes the project not viable. The solar company unsuccessfully sought a cost-effective solution.

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Because the time limit to purchase the land was near, ECA Solar decided to not move forward at this time, the letter indicated.

ECA Solar, based in Waltham, MA, received conditional use approval from the township in December to build a 50 acre, 3.7-milliwatt solar farm on the ridge just west of Hawley. It would have been located off the PPL transmission line right-of-way road, behind the Lake Region branch of The Dime Bank.

Initially the company offered to serve the electrical power needs of the Wallenpaupack Area School District with "clean energy".

After the district decided it would not be financially feasible to make the switch, ECA Solar planned to instead offer the energy derived from sunshine to the public. The proposed array could have powered as many as 600 homes, according to ECA Solar.

Palmyra Township supervisors meet on the first Monday of the month at 6:30 p.m. at the offices at 219 Oak Street, Marble Hill.

This article originally appeared on Tri-County Independent: ECA withdraws application to build solar farm near Hawley