ALBANY — The New York State Public Service Commission (Commission) will hold a virtual public statement hearing on Wednesday, March 12, 2025, to receive comments on a petition filed on November 25, 2024, by Somerset Solar, LLC (Somerset), pursuant to Section 68 of the Public Service Law, seeking a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity, as well as lightened regulation as a wholesale electric generator.

Somerset seeks authorization to construct and operate an up to 125-megawatt photovoltaic solar energy generation facility in the town of Somerset in Niagara County.

Construction and operation of the project is subject to the terms and conditions of the Siting Permit for a Major Renewable Energy Facility issued by the Office of Renewable Energy Siting and Electric Transmission (ORES) on December 23, 2024 in Matter 22-00026. The scope of the Commission’s review of this petition will not duplicate the issues that were previously considered and decided by ORES.

PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that a virtual public statement hearing will be held before the assigned Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) on:

Any person wishing to provide a public statement on the record during the virtual public statement hearing must register to do so by Monday, March 10, 2025.

To register and provide a statement electronically:

Participants who would like to provide a statement and will log in to the virtual public statement hearing electronically must register by the date and time indicated above by visiting https://dps.ny.gov/calendar, where they should (1) click on the “View DPS Calendar Listings” button, (2) scroll to and click on the Somerset Solar §68 Public Statement Hearing on March 12, 2025, (3) click the “Register” button, and (4) provide all requested information. After registration is complete, registrants will receive a confirmation email with instructions on how to join the public statement hearing. 

When logging in to participate in the hearing on the appropriate date and time, participants will be asked to “select audio system.” It is recommended that participants opt to have the system “call me” or “call using computer.” The “call me” option will require that participants enter their phone numbers.

To register and provide a statement by phone:

Any participant who is not able to log in to the virtual public statement hearing electronically may participate by phone. Call-in participants wishing to make a statement at the virtual public statement hearing must register to do so by the date and time indicated above by calling 1-800-342-3330, following the prompts to the appropriate hearing, and then providing the following information: first name and last name, address, and phone number.

On the day and time of the virtual public statement hearing, dial 1-929-251-9612 and enter the access code and phone-in password listed above.

To listen to the hearing without making a statement:

Any interested person may listen to the public statement hearing by phone by calling 1-929-251-9612 and entering the access code and phone-in password listed above.

All participants will be muted upon entry into the public statement hearing. The public statement hearing will be held open until everyone who has registered to speak has been heard or other reasonable arrangements to submit comments into the record have been made. Reasonable time limits may be set for each speaker as necessary to afford all attendees an opportunity to be heard. It is recommended that lengthy comments be submitted in writing and summarized for oral presentation. A verbatim transcript of the public statement hearing will be made for inclusion in the record of this case.

Persons with disabilities requiring special accommodations should call the Department of Public Service’s Human Resources Management Office at 518-473-9463 as soon as possible. TDD users may request a sign language interpreter by placing a call through the New York Relay Service at 711. Individuals with difficulty understanding or reading English are encouraged to call the Department at 1-800-342-3377 for free language assistance services regarding this notice.

Other Ways to Comment

For those who cannot attend or prefer not to comment at the public statement hearing, there are several other ways to provide your comments. All comments should refer to “Case 24-E-0666” and must be submitted no later than March 21, 2025.

Internet or Mail: Go to www.dps.ny.gov, click on “File Search” (located under the heading “Commission Files”), enter “24-E-0666” in the “Search by Case Number” box, and then click on “Post Comments” at the top of the page.

Alternatively, comments may be mailed to the Hon. Michelle L. Phillips, Secretary, Public Service Commission, Three Empire State Plaza, Albany, New York, 12223-1350.

All written comments will become part of the record considered by the Commission and may be accessed on the Department of Public Service website by searching the case number, as described above, and clicking on the “Public Comments” tab.

Toll-Free Opinion Line: Individuals may submit comments by calling the Commission’s Opinion Line at 1-800-335-2120. This number is set up to receive in-State calls 24 hours a day. These comments are not transcribed verbatim, but a summary is provided to the Commission.

PLEASE TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that a virtual procedural conference will be held immediately following the public statement hearing, as part of the same teleconference.

The principal purposes of the procedural conference are to identify any potential parties and provide interested persons an opportunity to present and explain any proposals regarding the procedures they believe should be followed in this case by the ALJ and Commission including, but not limited to, whether any issues of fact presented by the petition or public comments warrant an evidentiary hearing. Other procedural issues also may be addressed.