Metro

The council of governments (CoG) that operates state-mandated curbside recycling programs in three central Blair County municipalities has renewed an option held by a consortium of companies to build a solar farm on land owned by the CoG.

The Intermunicipal Relations Committee that represents Altoona, Logan Township and Hollidaysburg plans to extend the original yearlong option for land near the IRC’s compost facility near the Buckhorn for an additional six months, with the possibility of two 90-day extensions that wouldn’t add to the $100 holding fee the consortium will pay.

An initial renewal proposal was for another year at $100, but Logan Township Manager Tim Brown argued that was too long, given that the consortium has already had a year to organize the project.

If the IRC feels that the consortium isn’t moving forward based on provisions in the contract, as the months go by, it can terminate the contract, officials said.

The consortium now consists of two companies, Dawood Engineering of Enola and Coral Reef Partners of Jonestown, Lebanon County, after Akari Energy of Houston dropped out recently, officials said.

The proposed solar farm would occupy some of the 500 acres associated with the compost facility, officials have said.

There is no useful timber on the property.

The compost facility itself occupies only 22 acres.

Income from the project could help offset the $55,000 contribution that each of the IRC municipalities were making to the operations of the CoG as of late 2024, officials said then.

The income would mainly be in the form of lease payments for the acreage used for the solar farm, according to IRC Executive Director Brock Bryan.

The plan is for the consortium to make a lease payment of $1,600 per acre.

Two current proposals call for using either 11.5 or 37 acres, officials said.

The IRC’s share of revenues earned by the consortium from selling electricity generated by the solar farm to the grid would be small, at least at first, according to officials.

The consortium would cover the costs of installation.

Other companies that the IRC spoke to about a potential project would have required the IRC to contribute heavily to those installation costs, according to Bryan.

The consortium would need to work out an interconnection agreement with First Energy before undertaking the project.

IRC officials are not aware of any obstacles created by ordinances in Dean and Gallitzin townships, where the solar farm would be located, according to Bryan.

Supervisors in those townships have said they thought a solar farm would be aesthetically displeasing, but it wouldn’t be visible from the road, because of a tree line, Bryan said.

It’s possible that the necessary approvals could be obtained by the consortium before the end of the year, allowing construction to begin and thus allowing lease money to begin flowing to the IRC, officials said.

The proposed lease agreement would allow 24 months for construction.