Lincoln Renewable Energy Granted Site Plan Approval for $60 Million N.J. Utility-Scale Solar Farm

WOODSTOWN, N.J., Dec. 14, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Lincoln Renewable Energy today announced that the Mannington Township (N.J.) Planning Board unanimously approved its site-plan application for the 10-megawatt NJ Cedar Solar farm located in Salem County. This is the second site-plan approval granted to an LRE project in recent months. The company's 10-megawatt NJ Oak Solar project was approved in October in neighboring Cumberland County.

The Mannington Township Planning Board approved last Thursday the NJ Cedar Solar project's site plan on a 129-acre site within the township. LRE plans to begin construction of the $60 million solar farm in early 2011, creating approximately 100 construction jobs for the six-month construction phase.  

"We thank the Planning Board and the community of Mannington for recognizing the benefits that solar farms can bring to rural communities," said Lincoln Renewable Energy CEO Declan Flanagan. "However, we recognize that solar projects must be designed carefully to fit with the rural character of the communities where they're located. We have worked closely with the community on the project's design and will continue that close cooperation as we move toward construction."

NJ Cedar Solar and NJ Oak Solar are two of a number of solar farms being developed by LRE in New Jersey. Earlier this year, the company opened a regional office in Woodstown, also in Salem County.

In addition to New Jersey and the East Coast, LRE is actively developing projects in various Western markets managed from its Denver office. In early 2010, the company received a building permit for a 39-megawatt solar farm in Alamosa County in southern Colorado. The company also is developing the 50-megawatt Homestead Solar project located on private land in Clark County, Nev., as well as projects in New Mexico and Texas.

In a related matter, the company also commented on the Tax Extenders Bill moving through Congress, which would extend the Treasury Grant Program for solar power projects through 2011. "The program's extension would be very welcome news for the U.S. solar power industry," Flanagan said, noting that LRE has multiple projects underway with the permits and transmission access allowing for construction in the first half of 2011.

"Extension of the Treasury Grant Program is critical to moving those projects into construction with the creation of hundreds of jobs in the supply chain and in project construction," he explained.

About LRE

Lincoln Renewable Energy develops utility-scale solar and wind power projects from greenfield concept to commercial operation. The company is developing projects across the United States. LRE's management team has a proven track record in renewable-energy development. Their efforts have led to the construction of more than 3,000 megawatts of renewable energy in North America and Europe over the past 10 years. For more information, please visit www.lincolnrenewableenergy.com.

SOURCE Lincoln Renewable Energy