PITTSBURGH — A contaminated slag heap in Pittsburgh’s Swisshelm Park neighborhood is a step closer to becoming a solar farm.
The property, located adjacent to Frick Park and west of Swisshelm Park homes, is owned by the Urban Redevelopment Authority. The URA was recently awarded a $2 million grant from the Environmental Protection Agency, which closes the funding gap for the remediation.
The property was originally set to become housing, as part of the third and final phase of the Summerset at Frick Park development.
The URA, however, decided to switch gears and develop 15 acres of solar panel fields and a nearly 55-acre extension of Frick Park.
“I think a solar farm is a better use of the space,” said resident Nick Paiva.
The land, according to U.S. Rep. Summer Lee, is contaminated “with heavy metals, volatile organic compounds, and semi-volatile organic compounds.”
A news release from Lee states that she had sent a letter to the EPA, advocating for the additional funds.
A statement from URA Executive Director Susheela Nemani-Stanger thanked Lee, adding “the remediation of the site in Swisshelm Park is a meaningful step toward a future redevelopment that will provide clean energy, create a healthier community, and increase access to and maximize all that Frick Park has to offer.”
But there’s still a long way to go until the project is completed. The URA plans to issue a Request For Proposal (RFP) for the remediation work on the site later this year. Another RFP will be issued in 2025 for the solar development. The URA will reportedly work with the developer and operator to enter into a Power Purchase Agreement for energy usage.
Channel 11 asked a URA spokesperson who would benefit from solar energy.
“Our hope is that the solar facility could be used by residents in the future, but there is state legislation that would need to be in place for single-family homes to utilize solar energy from an adjacent facility,” the spokesperson said.
Without that state legislation, the spokesperson told us “the operator will be the offtaker for a majority of the solar facility’s power” and “any power the offtaker cannot utilize will be added to a larger pool of renewable energy sources managed by Duquesne Light Company.”
DLC customers would then reportedly have the option to purchase energy from this pool of renewable energy sources.
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