Selectmen postpone decision on Titan Energy agreement pending project details

On June 16 the Board of Selectmen agreed to postpone a vote on a proposed Titan Energy municipal sign-on that would provide roughly $8,500 a year to the town for 20 years. Selectmen said they want clearer answers about whether the project would proceed if North Stonington did not participate and whether signing would materially affect siting or developer leverage.

First Selectman Bob Carlson described the program’s financial outline: signing on would generate roughly $8,500 per year for the next 20 years for the town at no direct cost to municipal operations. Several selectmen raised concerns about land use and loss of open farmland if sign-on made siting or land acquisition easier for developers.

Because board members wanted a direct answer to whether the project was already committed or would proceed without the town’s participation, the board agreed to postpone the vote to the June 25 special meeting and asked staff to query the project lead and report back by email.

Why it matters: The agreement would create a long-term revenue stream but selectmen weighed that revenue against community concerns about farmland, siting, and whether municipal participation would influence a developer’s ability to proceed.

Next steps: Staff will ask the project contact whether the solar project depends on municipal sign-on; the board will revisit the matter at the June 25 meeting.