West Virginia Approves Solar Farm at Former Strip-Mining Site

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Earlier this week, the Public Service Commissions (PSC) of West Virginia approved the construction of a solar plant with battery storage that will be built on a site formerly used for strip mining. West Virginia is home to several other solar energy developments, and the company responsible for the newly approved plant, Energix US LLC (Arlington, Virginia), has several other active solar projects located in the Mid-Atlantic region.

The West Virginia PSC approved the solar facility's construction on Wednesday, cancelling a hearing planned about the project for later in the month as no letters of protest concerning the plant were received. The solar farm will include approximately 265,000 solar panels to provide 100 megawatts (MW) of power. In addition, Energix also has proposed developing a 200-MW battery energy storage system (BESS) at the site to provide power for times when the sun isn't shining. Construction is expected to last about a year, potentially putting the project on track for a 2026 or 2027 completion, depending on how soon construction begins. Subscribers to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Power Project Database can click here for more details.

West Virginia is home to several other active solar projects, although no others from Energix. A similarly sized project is planned to be constructed near Summit Point in the northeast corner of the state, about 70 miles from Washington, D.C., by the North American division of Italy's Enel SpA (Rome). The facility, planned for a 502-acre site, will have panels to generate 80 MW of solar power and lithium-ion technology to provide 200 MW of stored energy. The project is expected to be completed in late October. Subscribers can learn more by viewing the project report.

This year, construction is expected to begin on another Enel project in West Virginia, the 90-MW Raleigh project near Beaver, in the south-central region of the state. The facility will include approximately 250,000 panels on a single-axis tracking system and is expected to be completed in the fall of 2025. Subscribers can click here to learn more about the project.

As solar developers expand in West Virginia, the newly approved Mineral County project marks the sole Energix project in the state being tracked by Industrial Info. Most of the company's other U.S. projects are set to occur in neighboring Virginia. Some of these are for smaller-capacity projects, such as the planned Prairie solar farm near Smithfield, in Virginia's southeast corner. The facility will feature approximately 72,000 solar panels manufactured by First Solar Incorporated (NASDAQ:FSLR) (Tempe, Arizona). Construction is expected to begin later this year, putting the plant on track for a mid-2025 completion. Subscribers can learn more by clicking here.

Energix is planning another solar facility in Cana, Virginia, near the North Carolina border. The site is expected to house more than 26,000 First Solar panels, providing 10 MW of generation when completed later this year. Subscribers can view the project report to learn more.

Subscribers to Industrial Info's GMI Power Project Database can click here to view reports for all of the projects discussed in this article and click here to see the related plant profiles.

Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking over 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 trillion (USD).