Solar permitting — Suffolk County, New York
On file: local news, known opposition groups.
Long Island; PSEG LI/LIPA; Riverhead Solar 2 (36 MW, ORES-permitted); active utility-scale in eastern agricult. Permitting: Municipal SUP/Special Permit for <20 MW. ≥20 MW: ORES. Track record: Riverhead Solar 2. Political environment: Republ…
Key driver: Long Island; PSEG LI/LIPA; Riverhead Solar 2 (36 MW, ORES-permitted); active utility-scale in eastern agricultural East End; offshore wind context
Permitting process
Local permitting pathway
Municipal SUP/Special Permit for <20 MW. ≥20 MW: ORES (Article 94-c) bypasses local zoning.
Setbacks & buffers
None codified at county level. ORES sets conditions for ≥20 MW; municipal zoning governs <20 MW. — NOTE: the distances above are a STATE-level fallback, not a figure read from this county's own ordinance. We hold siting-rule records for this county which may include a stricter local limit we have not yet extracted. Verify against the county's own ordinance before relying on these.
Spacing requirements
None codified.
Size restrictions
None codified.
Penalties & bonding
No penalties or adjustments. Standard CUP/SUP process.
State-level permits & approvals
New York Office of Renewable Energy Siting (ORES), established April 2020 under Executive Law §94-c (Accelerated Renewable Energy Growth and Community Benefit Act): exclusive jurisdiction for projects ≥25 MW. Projects 20–25 MW may opt-in to ORES process. Sub-20 MW: local zoning governs. ORES can preempt local laws if 'unreasonably burdensome' to project — Third Department Appellate Court upheld this preemption authority (2023). ORES must issue siting permit within 12 months of completeness determination (6 months for repurposed/brownfield sites); if not decided, permit is deemed granted. RAPID Act (2024): consolidated major renewable energy + major electric transmission into single ORES process; draft regulations Dec 18, 2024 (public comment closed Mar 2025); implementing new pre-application consultation requirements including mandatory Indigenous Nation consultations. As of Mar 2026, ORES has issued 15 final siting permits totaling 2.3 GW. NYISO interconnection required statewide. All 62 NY counties in NYISO territory.
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State policy & grid context
State RPS & clean energy policy
70% by 2030, 100% zero-emission by 2040 | CLCPA (2019) | NYS PSL §66-p
State incentive programs
NY-Sun Initiative (NYSERDA): residential and commercial/industrial solar incentives; MW Block program provides upfront incentives per W-DC (declining block). NY Community Distributed Generation (CDG): community solar, Brooklyn-Queens neighborhood program. NY CLCPA (Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act): 70% RES by 2030; 100% clean by 2040; largest clean energy commitment of any state. NYISO RECs and ZECs: wholesale market credits support development. NY Article 94-c (ORES): state permit for ≥20 MW; preempts local opposition. NY Green Bank: project financing support. Utility varies by county: Con Edison (NYC/Westchester); National Grid (Long Island/Upstate); NYSEG (Southern Tier/North Country); Central Hudson (Hudson Valley); RG&E (Rochester); O&R (Orange/Rockland).
Grid & interconnection
NYISO Zone K (Long Island — PSEG Long Island / LIPA)
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Battery storage (BESS) P1 State-Default Permitting
MULTIPLE ACTIVE MUNICIPAL BESS MORATORIUMS — 5+ towns in Suffolk County have active BESS restrictions as of May 2026: Town of Islip (Moratorium Apr 7 2024 – Sep 30 2026); Town of Babylon (Moratorium a
BESS ordinances & bylaws
Tracked storage projects
County-level battery-storage status, safety requirements, and projects — each linked to a primary source.
Community opposition P1
Organized opposition signals on record for this county — petitions, community groups, and oppositional coverage — each linked to its primary source.
- r/longisland on Reddit: PSA: Town of Brookhaven Schedules Public Hearing on Data Centers, July 16th Data center
- Pulaski Street site considered for development of battery energy storage facility Storage
- Community says 'no' to lithium-ion battery storage Storage
- Southold extends BESS moratorium Storage
- Strong support for battery storage moratorium at Town Board hearing Tuesday Storage
- KEEP BESS OUT OF OUR NEIGHBORHOOD PROTEST Storage
- COUNTY OF SUFFOLK Z-3 Storage
- Suffolk County Planning Commission General
- Suffolk County's battery storage projects under review Storage
- Brookhaven Ai Data Center Moratorium Flyer N8Mo26Fn General
SitePath maintains the most complete community-opposition dataset available, refreshed continuously from primary sources.
Subscriber intel Subscribers
Researched for this county and available with a subscription:
- Project track record
- Developer intelligence
- Governing board
Energy-related meetings & dockets P1
No tracked activity yet — coverage expands weekly.
State PSC dockets P1
No tracked activity yet — coverage expands weekly.
Local news P3
- 2026-08-21 Propel Energy Plan C4Hvi1Mc
- 2026-08-19 Savion Energy Holtsville Battery Plant Suffolk Xpyh2Yng
- 2026-08-18 South Fork Wind Sunrise Offshore Jobs Lia Yrprc0Z5
- 2026-08-18 Propel Ny Energy Transco Lobbying Xwa1Pitb
- 2026-08-12 Riverhead Bess Code Revisions East Hampton Pfas
- 2026-08-12 Propel Ny Energy Clean Energy Sayville Zoning Nassau Red Light Fees Dui3233D
- 2026-06-10 Ai Data Centers New York
- 2026-06-05 Nyu Langone Melville Nassau Volunteer Deputy Arrest Solar Energy Trumps Weight Xnsgktwu
- 2026-06-02 Battery Storage Facility East Hampton Water Contamination Gj45Mx6G
- 2026-05-29 Brookhaven Ai Data Centers Vu9A5Ymz
- 2026-05-27 Brookhaven Ai Data Center Moratorium Flyer N8Mo26Fn
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