MOSCOW — Residents voted this week to repeal an ordinance prohibiting solar farms, paving the way for one such development proposed at a former military radar site in a remote part of Somerset County.

The vote tally at Monday’s annual town meeting, by secret ballot, was 35-10 in favor of throwing out the ordinance, according to the results Moscow Town Clerk Kelly Hunnewell provided Thursday.

At a November 2023 special town meeting, Moscow residents, by a vote of 16-4, had enacted an ordinance that prohibited new solar developments that produce more than 40 kilowatts and banned all commercial solar development.

Two developers — Cianbro Corp., headquartered in Pittsfield, and Patriot Renewables, headquartered in Quincy, Massachusetts — hoping to build a solar farm sought to change that, which prompted Monday’s vote. They have claimed their planning began for the project, dubbed Radar Solar, before the ordinance restricting such projects was passed.

The developers have plans for a 60-megawatt solar farm in Moscow and Caratunk at a former U.S. Air Force over-the-horizon backscatter radar base once used to detect potential incoming aircraft and missile threats.

They are partners in Western Maine Land Holdings, which owns the land, according to Parker Hadlock, who is leading the project for Cianbro. The site was purchased in 2011, he said.

The area is already home to a wind turbine development, dubbed Western Maine Renewable Energy. The construction of the turbines is complete, and the project is now in the commissioning phase, Hadlock said in February.

The proposed solar panel arrays would have a footprint of about 105 acres in Caratunk and 97 acres in Moscow, a map on the project’s website shows. The energy produced would reduce carbon dioxide emissions from the current New England grid system by approximately 57,000 tons per year.

The two companies had been pitching the project to area residents in recent months, holding an information session in Moscow in December and sending mailers to residents. The developers also launched a website, radarsolar.com, earlier this year. The website contains information, maps and answers to frequently asked questions.

The developers say they believe the radar site is ideal for a solar farm of this size. It is already cleared and flat, accessible by gravel roads and adjacent to electricity grid infrastructure.

“The solar farm will be nearly hidden from public view and will not impede traditional uses, such as timber harvesting, snowmobiling, ATV riding, and general access to the region,” according to the project website.

As part of their pitch, developers say the project, as currently designed, would generate a minimum net tax revenue of $150,000 per year in Moscow and $180,000 per year in Caratunk, starting in 2028. More revenue could be captured with tax increment financing, the developers say.

Project representatives did not return an email Thursday inquiring about Moscow voters’ decision to repeal the ban.

Caratunk, where the project partially lies, has an energy systems ordinance that covers wind, solar and electrical transmission projects.

The current radar site proposal would be allowed under that ordinance, although it is subject to a Planning Board review process and approval, Caratunk First Selectman Elizabeth Caruso said last month.

The developers will need a permit from Moscow, too.

John Oliveira, a Moscow Planning Board member who was in favor of keeping the solar farm ban, said he was disappointed in the outcome of Monday’s vote.

“There are a lot of people that aren’t happy with the outcome,” said Oliveira, who was not able to attend Monday’s town meeting due to his work schedule. “It is what it is. We lost.”

Oliveira is also a member of the Bingham Fire Department, which serves Moscow, and said he believes that department does not have the training or equipment necessary for any fire at the former radar site. He said he hopes the developers agree to fund that, as well as provide their own emergency medical services during construction at the remote site instead of tying up local first responders.

“Now, we need to take steps to protect ourselves as much as possible before … the Select Board or the Planning Board approve any permits,” Oliveira said.