RICHMOND, R.I. (AP) - A superior court judge ruled that another solar energy project in Rhode Island may move forward, despite concerns of residents and the town about the site.
In a decision on Monday, the judge overruled a vote by the zoning board of Richmond, Rhode Island, that would have stopped the development of a large solar project on the site of a former turf farm, the Providence Journal reported.
The judge said members of the board wrongly concluded that the site did not comply with zoning regulations that mandated the renewable energy project be within 2 miles (3 kilometers) of a substation.
The site of the proposed project is within 2 miles of an Amtrak substation, and within 2.1 miles of a National Grid substation.
The town plans to appeal the decision to the Rhode Island Supreme Court, Richmond town solicitor Karen Ellsworth told the newspaper.
Freepoint Solar LLC is developing the solar farm in Richmond and has already reached an agreement with National Grid for the project, the newspaper reported.
Gov. Gina Raimondo signed an executive order in January that aims to have all of the state’s electricity flowing from renewable sources by 2030.
Opponents of another solar energy project in Hopkinton, Rhode Island, located in the same county as Richmond, lost their lawsuit to prevent that project from moving forward in June.
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