RICHMOND, Va., Oct. 25, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- More solar energy
generation is on the horizon for Dominion Virginia Power customers
as the company works to complete the construction of three
large-scale solar facilities in three Virginia counties – Isle of
Wight, Louisa and Powhatan. When operational by the end of the
year, the solar facilities will produce 56 megawatts (MW) of
emission-free generation at peak output, enough energy to power
about 14,000 homes.
"We have made tremendous progress since we received all
necessary regulatory approvals from state and local jurisdictions,"
said Ruth Prideaux,
director-Generation Projects Renewable Energy. "Our contractor,
Amec Foster Wheeler, hired the best workers in the industry and
reached out to include local hires, giving them the opportunity to
grow their skills even more. We are creating a talented workforce
who will be experienced in the construction of utility- and
community-scale solar farms, whether they are working for Dominion
or other energy companies."
The facilities are at various phases of completion and are on
schedule and on budget. More than 800 construction jobs were
created, with most being filled within the local communities.
During the construction phase, the Commonwealth is expected to see
a cumulative economic impact of $74
million from the 2015 planning phase to the completion of
the projects.
The projects are:
- Isle of Wight (Woodland
Solar) – 80,000 solar panels will produce 19 MW at peak output,
enough to power 4,750 homes.
- Louisa (Whitehouse Solar) – 83,000 solar panels will
produce 20 MW at peak output, enough to power 5,000 homes.
- Powhatan (Scott Solar) – 77,000 solar panels will
produce 17 MW, enough to power 4,250 homes. (Watch video of
construction in progress)
Dominion is committed to bringing 400 MW of solar energy to
Virginia through 2020. Other planned solar projects, pending
regulatory approval, are: the Remington Solar Facility in
Fauquier County – a 20 MW facility
that will contain about 260,000 photovoltaic panels and is in
partnership with the Commonwealth of Virginia and Microsoft; and
the Oceana Solar Facility in the City of
Virginia Beach – a 17.6 MW facility that will contain about
179,000 panels and is in partnership with the Commonwealth of
Virginia and the Department of Navy.
Dominion Virginia Power is a
subsidiary of Dominion (NYSE: D), one of the nation's largest
producers and transporters of energy. Dominion serves more than 6
million utility and retail energy customers. It has a portfolio of
approximately 25,700 megawatts of generation, 14,400 miles of
natural gas transmission, gathering and storage pipeline, and 6,500
miles of electric transmission lines. Dominion also operates one of
the nation's largest natural gas storage systems with 1
trillion cubic feet of storage capacity. For more information about
Dominion, visit the company's website at www.dom.com.
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SOURCE Dominion Virginia Power