A solar project planned in the Dewittville area has been approved for tax breaks by the Chautauqua County Industrial Development Agency, while another four other solar projects are being considered.

During a county IDA meeting Tuesday, board members heard about the proposed 5-megawatt project planned on Hartfield-Stockton Road in the town of Chautauqua. The project would be placed on about 30 acres of land.

The Chautauqua Town Board had approved a special use permit for the development at its March board meeting. That approval came after about nine months of consideration by the town officials.

During Tuesday’s county IDA meeting, board members were told this project would create about 25 construction jobs and one permanent part-time maintenance position.

Peter McAuliffe with Omni Navitas said the project will take about six months to build and they hope to start work by this fall.

Once the project is operational, officials were told it will feed the electricity generated directly to the grid.

The county IDA board approved a 25-year Payment In Lieu Of Taxes agreement of $3,200 per megawatt. The town of Chautauqua host agreement will be $2,700 per megawatt.

Omni Navitas is proposing two additional solar projects, one in the town of Portland and one in the town of French Creek.

The Portland solar project is expected to be 5 megawatts located at 7820 Felton Road.

The French Creek project is expected to be 3.3 megawatts located at 10256 Old Road and be placed on 23 acres of land.

Both the Portland and French Creek projects received a due diligence resolution, which allows the county IDA to begin investigating the project. That is required before PILOT approvals can be given.

Chairman Mike Metzger expressed his support for the projects. “These are three excellent projects. … As we look to solar alternative energy in Chautauqua County this is tremendous,” he said.

There were two other solar projects that received due diligence resolutions as well.

The first was Pomfret II PV by RIC Energy. This solar project is scheduled to be 4.699 megawatts on 28 acres of land located at 10026 Farel Road.

RIC energy said the land was last used to grow cabbage. This is the third solar project for this company. It has been approved for another solar project in Pomfret and one in the town of Hanover.

The developers noted that they have been working with the Pomfret Town Board since December and after a recent public hearing, the board approved a special use permit.

The Pomfret solar project is expected to cost $5.6 million to construct, which would begin next year. The company is seeking a 25 year Payment In Lieu Of Taxes agreement with the county.

The other solar project is on Angell Road in the town of Hanover. This development is proposed by Delaware River Solar.

County IDA officials said this is a 2.2-megawatt solar development. This is the first project that Delaware River Solar has proposed a project in Chautauqua County, however, company officials said they’ve been able to develop a pipeline of more than 300 megawatts worth of solar energy.

“We’re seeing that solar is becoming much more accepted across the state and the mechanics of developing solar are becoming more commonplace,” said Daniel Compitello with Delaware River Solar.

Compitello said the land on Angell Road is currently a hay field. The nearby grapevines will not need to be disturbed. He said they hope to break ground either later this year or in early 2023. It’s expected to take about three months to construct.

IDA officials said the company is seeking a 25 year Payment In Lieu Of Taxes agreement, along with other mortgage and tax abatement benefits. The development is expected to cost $3.9 million to construct.

The IDA is expected to vote on the PILOT agreements for Portland, French Creek, Pomfret and Hanover projects at a future meeting.