Dominion proposes building enough solar plants to power 250,000 homes around Virginia
Dominion Energy proposes building more solar and energy storage projects around Virginia to generate enough power to supply the daily electricity needs for more than 250,000 homes.
The proposal — which includes 15 projects combined — would add another 1000 megawatts per day to Dominion’s grid, a company release said last week. If approved, it also would tack on $1.13 to a typical residential bill.
Dominion announced the plan in its annual filing with the State Corporation Commission earlier this month. The company has ramped up its efforts to expand its solar capacity since state legislators passed the Virginia Clean Economy Act last year.
“This is the largest expansion of solar and energy storage in Virginia history and a major leap forward in delivering clean energy,” Dominion president Ed Baine said in the release. “As we expand renewables across Virginia, we remain laser-focused on keeping our service affordable and reliable.”
The legislation set renewable energy goals requiring Dominion to provide 100% carbon-free energy by 2045, and close all coal-fired plants by 2024. Earlier this year, Dominion received the green light from the SCC to add nine solar plants to its grid around Hampton Roads.
Dominion expects to spend $1.4 billion to acquire up to 15 solar and energy storage facilities, some that already are in various stages of development or require local and state permits before Dominion can develop them, a company spokeswoman said.
At least 11 of those will be larger-grid projects which can provide more megawatts, the release said. Two projects are smaller to provide locally distributed power. One is a combined solar and storage project; another is a stand-alone energy storage project.
Dominion expects to generate more than $800 million in economic benefits across the state and support 4,200 clean energy jobs. The company also has formal agreements to purchase power from 32 solar and energy storage plants operated by third-party providers.
Peninsula-area projects include acquisitions for Camellia Solar and Winterberry Solar, both capable of producing 20 megawatts daily in Gloucester County, and Solidago Solar, a 20-megawatt facility in Isle of Wight County.
In the Middle Peninsula region, Dominion acquired Sweet Sue Solar, a 75-megawatt facility in King William County and Walnut Solar, a 150-megawatt facility in King and Queen County in a joint venture.
If approved by the SCC, the proposed projects could take up to nine months to complete with larger projects having a completion date in 2023.
Lisa Vernon Sparks, 757-432-4832, lvernonsparks@dailypress.com
