Attachment ARoyalston Solar RFP~1.pdf
PDF 291 KB Posted
- Attached to
- Royalston Solar Landfill RFP
- Solicitation number
- BD-27-1321-TORTH-TORTH-133367
- 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 develop Solar Generating Facilities at the Royalston Landfill located at 6 Town Dump Road, Royalston, MA 01368. The Town is pursuing this opportunity under M.G.L c. 30B S.16 to lease the Site or establish Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) that will generate financial benefits. The RFP invites proposers to submit alternative financial benefit structures or Site leasing options beyond the standard PPA model. The procurement process requires submission of detailed proposals that demonstrate technical feasibility, financial viability, and compliance with state renewable energy regulations and local requirements. Site visits and pre-proposal meetings are available to interested parties to facilitate understanding of the Site conditions and constraints. The contract term and specific response/due dates are outlined within the RFP documentation to establish the timeline for proposal submission and evaluation.
The RFP emphasizes that financial proposals should clearly articulate how the Town will benefit from the proposed project, whether through lease payments, PPA terms, or other innovative financing structures. The procurement process is open to all qualified developers without set-asides, and the Town intends to select the proposal that best serves municipal interests while advancing renewable energy development goals. Funding for the project will derive from the renewable energy generation and associated revenue streams rather than municipal appropriation. The Town seeks to maximize long-term financial returns while supporting Massachusetts' renewable energy objectives and reducing operational costs associated with the landfill Site.
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Text version
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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