BERNARDSTON — The Planning Board has approved modifications to a special permit for a solar array off Bernardston Road, with the company projecting it could be operational by the end of 2023.

Pacifico Energy, a Japan-based international renewable developer with offices in Boston, has been approved to construct arrays on three parcels off Bernardston Road near the Bernardston-Greenfield line.

The Planning Board’s meeting last week primarily focused on special permit criteria, with members having reviewed the site plan at a previous meeting. Both ran smoothly because the board previously approved the project in 2019, but Pacifico Energy returned to the board this year with modifications after internal analysis suggested the company remove an array over the Greenfield line.

The new plan proposes an additional 5.5-acre array in Bernardston, which brings the total acreage of solar panels to 18 acres. The total acreage of the property is roughly 71.6 acres, according to Laura Lefebvre, a consultant with TRC Companies.

Kris Pitney, Pacifico Energy’s North American properties director of development, said the array should cause little disruption to the neighborhood because the nearest home is more than 1,000 feet away and once construction is done, the company’s presence will be minimal as long as repairs aren’t needed.

“We don’t want to sugarcoat construction … but after that, it’s visited a couple times a year,” Pitney said, noting the access road is in Greenfield, so traffic won’t always impact Bernardston residents. The array likely won’t be a visual eyesore, except for a brief view on Interstate 91 southbound, because the solar panels are less than 15 feet tall and the wooded area acts as a natural visual barrier.

Additionally, Pacifico Energy’s property will put the unused lots back on the town’s tax rolls. Pitney, who was asked to give a “ballpark” guess on tax revenue for Planning Board member Rawn Fulton, estimated the array could bring in $75,000 to $100,000 once it is assessed.

The Board of Assessors is waiting for an official address for the project. In the past, the array has been given the address of 1417 Bernardston Road, which is in Greenfield, or 52 Bernardston Road in Bernardston. The topic came up when emergency service response was discussed, and Pitney said Pacifico Energy has been in contact with police and fire chiefs.

Once completed, the array will sell energy to Eversource and Pitney said the company expects to start a program where “low-income customers in Bernardston can buy power from the company at a reduced rate.”

Other plans Pacifico Energy has for the project include pollinator-friendly plantings around the fence, replication of wetlands and an obligation to revert the site back to a field upon the decommissioning of the array.

Construction is expected to begin as soon as possible and Pitney said the project, if everything goes according to plan, would be operational by the end of the year.

Chris Larabee can be reached at clarabee@recorder.com or 413-930-4081.

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