RICHMOND, Va., Oct. 5,
2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Dominion Energy Virginia will add new solar
generation to the power grid to serve a new state-of-the-art data
center Facebook plans to build in suburban Richmond, Virginia.
Facebook announced Thursday it has selected a location in
eastern Henrico County as home to
its eighth data center in the United
States. This was made possible through a new innovative
renewable rate option designed by Dominion Energy Virginia and
Facebook that will allow large energy users such as Facebook to
meet their needs through the addition of renewable energy
sources.
"Access to clean energy is joining reliability and price as
important considerations when businesses decide to locate their
operations," said Robert M. Blue,
president and CEO of Dominion Energy's Power Delivery Group.
"We are pleased we have been able to develop a solution for
Facebook that meets all those requirements and creates a model that
can be used by other large businesses as well. It opens the door to
attracting more businesses and more jobs for the communities we
serve."
"We know from experience that when people come together, they
can do a lot of good in the world," said Bobby Hollis, director of Global Energy at
Facebook. "We came together with Dominion Energy Virginia to
create a new tariff that ensures renewable energy solutions are
accessible not just to Facebook, but other companies as well. This
new opportunity for customers to access renewable energy enables us
to get one step closer to our goal of powering 100 percent of our
operations with clean and renewable energy."
"I am proud to welcome Facebook to Henrico County, and we look forward to a
strong partnership," said Governor Terry
McAuliffe. "When an industry giant like Facebook selects
Virginia for a major operation,
it's proof that our efforts to build an open and welcoming economy
that works for everyone are paying off. For many years,
Virginia has served as a key hub
for global internet traffic, emerging as one of the most active
data center markets in the world. Working with companies like
Facebook and many others, we are advancing Virginia's position as a global leader in the
technology economy and a world-class home to innovative companies
of every size."
The new data center in Henrico
County will be comprised of two separate buildings and
administrative space totaling nearly one million square feet.
Dominion Energy Virginia plans to construct multiple solar
facilities in the Commonwealth (sites still to be determined) to
both meet Facebook's needs and benefit all of its customers.
The Facebook data center would be served under a new renewable
rate option called Schedule RF (renewable facility), which Dominion
Energy Virginia plans to file with the Virginia State Corporation
Commission later this month. If approved, Schedule RF would allow
Facebook to offset its annual energy needs with clean, renewable
energy delivered to the grid. It would also create opportunities
for other large companies wishing to make the same commitment, and
would provide broader economic benefits to all of Dominion Energy
Virginia's 2.5 million customers. This new product offering would
ultimately lead to new business opportunities. As a secondary
economic impact, millions of dollars of new renewable energy
projects would be built in the Commonwealth.
Dominion Energy Virginia and Facebook worked extensively on
creating the Schedule RF structure to meet customer needs. To
qualify for the voluntary and experimental rate option, a customer
must bring new electrical load and agree to purchase environmental
attributes from renewable energy sources as defined in the Code of
Virginia. Through Schedule RF,
Facebook will support energy expected to come from the
sun.
Dominion Energy Virginia is actively growing the market for
clean energy. Schedule RF will further support diversification of
the company's generation portfolio for the good of all customers.
The company's 2017 Integrated Resource Plan calls for at least
5,200 MW of new solar generation by 2042, enough to power 1.3
million homes at peak output.
"Facebook is the latest partner we have in the renewable energy
arena," Blue added. "We remain ambitious and forward-thinking, and
welcome any business or corporation to come to Virginia and see what we have to offer."
About Dominion Energy
Dominion Energy (NYSE: D) is one of the nation's largest
producers and transporters of energy, with a portfolio of
approximately 25,700 megawatts of generation, 15,000 miles of
natural gas transmission, gathering and storage pipeline, and 6,600
miles of electric transmission lines. Dominion Energy operates one
of the nation's largest natural gas storage systems with 1 trillion
cubic feet of storage capacity and serves more than 6 million
utility and retail energy customers. For more information about
Dominion Energy, visit the company's website
at www.DominionEnergy.com.
About Facebook
Founded in 2004, Facebook's mission is to give people the power
to build community and bring the world closer together. People use
Facebook to stay connected with friends and family, to discover
what's going on in the world, and to share and express what matters
to therm. Facebook is a trademark of Facebook, Inc.
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SOURCE Dominion Energy