Solar project may be coming to Hanover Township site

A New Jersey company is exploring a solar farm with panels designed to float in the flood-prone Breslau Reservoir in Hanover Township.

The Luzerne County Flood Protection Authority sought proposals from companies interested in a solar project at the site in an attempt to generate new revenue.

Although several companies expressed interest, Howell, New Jersey-based Infiniti Energy Services was the lone respondent.

Authority Executive Director Christopher Belleman said he believes the others were nervous about potential flooding. That isn’t an issue with Infiniti because the company has completed several projects with floating components, he said.

Located adjacent to the Wyoming Valley Sanitary Authority facility, the 160-acre reservoir is normally dry unless the Susquehanna River rises to a level that water from Solomon Creek must pool there, officials have said.

Under a plan set for authority adoption Tuesday, Infiniti would pay the authority $5,000 per year during a feasibility review period, he said.

If the company determines the project can advance, it is willing to pay the authority $1,000 for each acre leased, Belleman said.

Its proposal projected 35 acres would be leased for an annual payment of $35,000 to the authority, he said. However, additional acreage is available if Infiniti eventually decided to expand, he said.

In addition, solar energy generated at the site may be available to local communities for purchase, he said.

“This has a lot of positive benefits,” Belleman said.

The feasibility period could take two years because it would include obtaining approval from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and other regulatory entities, he said.

Infiniti would install, own, operate and maintain the solar energy system.

The flood protection authority must oversee and maintain the Wyoming Valley Levee system and relies primarily on funding from a fee on levee-protected properties implemented in 2009.

“It would kind of take the pressure off a little,” Belleman said of the solar project revenue.