Greenidge meeting set for next week

TORREY--After some question about the date, it has been confirmed the Torrey planning board will take up the Greenidge Generation application to construct four buildings at their property on April 19. A second planning board meeting has also been scheduled for April 26 to examine the applications by different parties not associated with Greenidge. This will allow the meeting on April 19 to be solely about the power plant project.
There had been some confusion about the date after news reports prior to a Monday, March 15 meeting had said the issue would be discussed on April 19. After the meeting, several audience members reported the Greenidge decision was being moved to April 26. However, officials have confirmed Greenidge will be the sole topic for discussion on April 19.
At issue is the desire of Greenidge to construct four new buildings on the site of the power plant to primarily house Bitcoin mining computers.
Having power generation capabilities onsite allows the thousands of computers performing the Bitcoin mining to run behind-the-meter, whereas a typical data center can face limitations by the cost of electricity to run the machines.
Greenidge is a converted natural gas power plant capable of producing over 100 Megawatts (MW).
Representatives from local environmental non-profits the Seneca Lake Guardian, the Committee to Preserve the Finger Lakes and the Sierra Club Atlantic Chapter have argued until the environmental impact is known expansion should not occur and have filed a lawsuit towards that end.
According to Torrey town officials, the lawsuit is the reason why many town officials will not comment on Greenidge or the application.
Critics of the Bitcoin operation have argued the work at Greenidge creates minimal jobs, increases greenhouse gas emissions and relies on Seneca Lake to cool the power equipment without knowing the impact of the warmed water.
Proponents of the operation point to the fact that larger technology services such as streaming platforms are far more harmful to the environment, Bitcoin is a solid long-term investment, the local operation has created jobs and all environmental permits have been followed.
Despite some public opposition to the expansion of the Bitcoin mining operation, Greenidge representatives have remained steadfast that they are operating under already established permits and local boards should be considering the construction of the four buildings, not the intended use.
However, in January, the Yates County Planning Board voted 5-3 to recommend against authorization of the expansion. That move now requires the Torrey planning board to pass the application with a supermajority instead of a simple majority.
The Torrey planning board had already voted on the issue and approved the application 4-1 prior to the county planning board meeting, but it was subsequently discovered that a technical issue would force the matter to be voted upon again.
Greenidge announced Monday, April 12 two additional members have joined their Community Advisory Group led by Dr. Tim Dennis. The group adds former newspaper editor Gwen Chamberlain and retired field advisor for the New York Farm Bureau, Skip Jensen.