Attachment ARoyalston Solar RFP.pdf

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Attached to
Royalston Solar Landfill RFP
Solicitation number
BD-27-1321-TORTH-TORTH-132882
Issued by
Worcester County, Massachusetts

About this file

This is a Request for Proposals (RFP) issued by the Town of Royalston, Massachusetts, seeking qualified renewable energy developers to design, construct, and operate solar generating facilities at the Royalston Landfill located at 6 Town Dump Road, Royalston, MA 01368. The project is conducted under Massachusetts General Law Chapter 30B Section 16. The Town is open to various financial arrangements with proposers, including site leasing agreements, Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs), or other alternative financial structures that provide benefits to the municipality. Proposers are encouraged to submit creative proposals that maximize financial returns or operational advantages for the Town. The RFP establishes a competitive solicitation process through which the Town will evaluate and select a qualified developer partner for the solar facility development project.

The RFP outlines the Town's intent to leverage its landfill property for renewable energy generation while generating revenue or other financial benefits through either lease arrangements or power purchase agreements. Proposers must demonstrate qualifications and experience in solar facility development, permitting, financing, and operations. The procurement follows Massachusetts' formal competitive bidding requirements to ensure transparency and value for the municipality. Specific details regarding proposal submission deadlines, site visit schedules, evaluation criteria, selection timelines, and contract term length would be contained within the full RFP documentation provided to prospective bidders.

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Town of Royalston RFP Solar Photovoltaic Project at Royalston Landfill

ATTACHMENT A: BACKGROUND INFORMATION

TOWN OF ROYALSTON

SOLAR PHOTOVOLTAIC PROJECT AT ROYALSTON LANDFILL

ROYALSTON LANDFILL

The Royalston Landfill (Site) is located at 6 Town Dump Road in Royalston, MA 01368. As of writing, the landfill is closed and capped as of 2000. The landfill was operational from 1913 to 1999 and served as a municipal solid waste (MSW) facility. The Site was capped in accordance with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) standards.

Today, the approximately 2.5-acre cleared Site serves as the Royalston Transfer Station and Recycling Center which allows residents of Royalston to dispose of trash and recycle appropriate materials. The physical structure of the transfer station and recycling facility takes a up a small portion of space abutting the western side of Town Dump Road and does not sit on top of the capped landfill.

The Site is located in Parcel 39 of Map 11 with the property ID of F_471748_3069101 according to MassGIS Data Hub. The parcel is owned by the Town of Royalston and is 78 acres in total, with the open-space associated with the capped landfill comprising of 2.5 acres and the footprint of the transfer station comprising of roughly 1 acre. The Site is zoned in a Solar Overlay District which allows solar facilities by site plan review. The Town of Royalston is the owner of the Site and has authorization to enter into a long-term lease, contingent upon approval of a Town Meeting vote.

Solar Photovoltaic Project

The Town of Royalston is seeking to lease the land for the development of a SGF that will provide the Town with the highest long-term revenue through lease payments, energy savings, and/or a payment in lieu of taxes or combination thereof, through the installation of a Solar Generating Facility (SGF) to produce renewable energy for the Town of Royalston. The Town is interested in maximizing the use of existing, cleared land on top of the capped landfill, and is open to proposals that include the clearing of additional, wooded land to expansion of a proposed system up to 5 MW AC. The Town is open to proposals that include Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS).

Grid Infrastructure

The Site is located on Town Dump Road, which contains single-phase utility distribution (Master CDF 05_09_701J1) Roughly 200 yards northwest of the Site is Athol Road. Athol Road contains distribution line 05_09_701J1 which has an operating voltage of 4.16 kV and a maximum feeder hosting capacity of

1.01 MW at the time of writing. Distribution line 05_09_701J1 is connected to substation ROYALSTON701 which is currently in Group Study Barre-Athol 002. National Grid estimates service upgrades to substation ROYALTON701 to be completed by 2029 to expand hosting capacity and grid infrastructure for the Town of Royalston.

Site Development Considerations

The Town is seeking proposals that balance financial return, renewable energy generation, landfill protection, interconnection feasibility, and forest impact. Proposers should not assume that the Town will

Town of Royalston RFP Solar Photovoltaic Project at Royalston Landfill approve the maximum possible clearing or development footprint solely because a larger project may be technically feasible.

Because the parcel includes a small, capped landfill area and a substantially larger forested area, Proposers shall evaluate both a cleared-area / landfill-focused alternative and a maximum feasible buildout alternative up to five (5) MW AC. Each alternative shall identify expected project size, areas disturbed, areas permanently converted, access needs, interconnection needs, and anticipated financial return to the Town.

The Town expects Proposers to identify any known constraints associated with the current distribution system, projected utility upgrades, interconnection timing, and the relationship between project size and required utility improvements. The Town does not represent or warrant that adequate interconnection capacity is currently available for the proposed project size.

Town Objectives

Generate reliable long-term revenue or energy cost savings for the Town.

Protect the closed and capped landfill, transfer station operations, and related public infrastructure.

Preserve Town control over timber value and forest clearing decisions.

Ensure that all permitting, interconnection, construction, operations, maintenance, and decommissioning obligations are borne by the Developer unless expressly agreed otherwise in writing.

Avoid committing Town land to a project that does not advance through development milestones in a timely manner.

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