Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, a 6 MW project will replace the permanently closed site.
August 22, 2022
FirstEnergy Corp., a utility serving West Virginia, has announced that it will permanently remove a coal ash facility and, like a phoenix rising from the ashes, a solar facility will take its place. The company plans a 6 MW installation as part of a larger 50 MW solar portfolio.
Coal ash, a byproduct of burning coal to produce electricity, is the second largest waste stream, following household waste. It contains toxic chemicals such as arsenic and lead and is often buried in a treatment landfill. This facility had been using the ash to produce cement and burying the toxic materials in a landfill.
FirstEnergy subsidiary Mon Power will build the solar facility on the 11-hectare site. Another solar facility will be built on a 18-hectare reclaimed coal mine.
Mon Power and Potomac Edison are accepting applications to sign up for a company-run “community” solar program. The program allows customers to purchase renewable energy credits that represent the output of solar installations. Credits are used to offset the costs of utility bills.
Earlier this year the largest solar project in the state’s history was announced, a 250 MW project to be located in a former coal mine. To date, the state only has 20 MW of installed solar energy, so this project will be a milestone in the state’s energy transition progress.
The project will be located on 1,200 hectares of what was the Hobet surface mine in southern West Virginia, according to project officials. Up to 300 workers are expected to be employed during construction, and the total cost of the project is estimated to be regarding $320 million, considerably more than the $54 million total solar investment in the state previously, according to the Association of Solar Energy Industries (SEIA).
The solar array will be developed by Savion, while SEVA WV will lead other developments in a multi-phase project to revitalize the old mine area, with additional investments in industry, lodging, hospitality and recreation, including 80 miles of new trails as a extension of the Hatfield-McCoy ATV system.
In 2020, the state passed a bill authorizing power companies to own and operate up to 200 MW of renewable generation facilities to help meet the state’s electricity needs. According to a statement, the incorporation of new renewable generation can promote economic development, since a “growing number of companies” require that part of the electricity they buy be generated by renewable sources.
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