State regulators have postponed a crucial determination on a contentious renewable energy proposal that would place a massive solar generation facility across two eastern Connecticut communities. The project, which has sparked mixed reactions among local residents and town leaders, represents a significant addition to the region’s clean energy infrastructure while raising questions about land conservation.
Known as the Husky Solar initiative, the project is being advanced by West Hartford-based developer Verogy through its subsidiary, Brookfield Husky Solar LLC. The developer envisions establishing a 50-megawatt solar farm designed to generate enough zero-carbon electricity to supply roughly 6,700 residences on an annual basis.
The installation is slated for the former Bellavance Property, an expansive 211-acre tract that straddles the municipal boundary between Plainfield and Sterling. The parcel has a varied industrial and agricultural background, encompassing overgrown farm fields, wooded acreage, and decommissioned gravel excavation pits. Over the decades, the same real estate had been eyed for vastly different industrial uses, including an aircraft assembly plant for Airbus and a repository for low-level nuclear waste.
Although the Connecticut Siting Council conducted a sequence of evidentiary hearings and was initially scheduled to vote on the project’s permit applications in August, the regulatory agency has officially extended its final deadline to February. The extension grants additional time to evaluate the extensive filings concerning environmental safeguards, site design, and public necessity.
Local municipal finances stand to receive a substantial boost should the development receive state approval. According to financial projections submitted by Verogy, the town of Plainfield would collect approximately $350,000 annually in new property tax revenue, while neighboring Sterling would gain an estimated $252,000 each year.
Beyond ongoing property tax payments, the project would provide short-term economic contributions to both municipalities during its implementation phase. Verogy has indicated that local building and permitting fees would deliver around $550,000 to Plainfield and $355,000 to Sterling. Additionally, the developer estimated that the nearly two-year construction timeline would generate $13 million in total payroll wages, employing a workforce of between 150 and 200 laborers.
In its formal applications to the Siting Council, Verogy maintained that the solar installation will produce a net positive ecological outcome by expanding Connecticut's inventory of clean, zero-emission power. The company emphasized that its engineering design satisfies all air and water quality standards enforced by the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, including stringent operational and construction-related stormwater management regulations.
To minimize physical disruption to sensitive terrain, the developer proposed concentrating infrastructure on upland sections and former agricultural areas. Verogy also pledged to protect environmentally fragile wetlands by utilizing protective timber matting whenever heavy construction machinery must cross those areas. Furthermore, the company committed to installing visual screening to ensure the solar arrays remain concealed from neighboring private parcels and general public view.
Nevertheless, the project requires the clear-cutting of approximately 124 acres of standing forest. Verogy countered environmental objections to tree removal by noting that commercial timber harvesting had already occurred on the property over the prior two decades. The developer added that the parcels are likely to undergo future logging regardless of whether the solar array proceeds, emphasizing that current agricultural operations on the site generate no income for the property owners.
The scale of land disturbance has drawn criticism from local leadership. Sterling Selectman Patricia Massey submitted a formal letter of objection to the Siting Council on April 20, cautioning that the solar installation runs counter to the region’s historic "Last Green Valley" preservation identity. Massey raised alarms regarding the heavy traffic, excavation, and equipment delivery near a local community school, while warning of potential ground and river pollution stemming from heavy metals, cabling, glass, and electrical wiring.
Massey’s formal intervention quickly highlighted internal divisions within Sterling’s municipal government. Shortly after her submission, Sterling First Selectman Jack Joslyn communicated directly with state regulators to clarify that Massey’s letter represented her personal perspective rather than the official consensus of the board of selectmen, which has maintained a neutral posture toward the application.
Public sentiment across both Plainfield and Sterling remains divided, with much of the critical discourse taking place across social media forums. Commenters opposing the initiative have frequently argued that utility-scale energy projects should be prioritized on brownfields or commercial warehouse rooftops rather than converting forested tracts and open green space.
Despite online skepticism, public opposition to Husky Solar has remained relatively subdued compared to other major infrastructure fights in eastern Connecticut. The proposal has not triggered organized resistance efforts, community petition drives, or roadside lawn sign campaigns, contrasting sharply with recent high-profile controversies surrounding a proposed trash plant in Killingly and major Costco warehouse developments in Canterbury and Plainfield.
As the Connecticut Siting Council approaches its rescheduled February decision, regulators must weigh the state's aggressive clean energy targets and substantial municipal tax gains against community concerns over rural land use and forest preservation.
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