RICHMOND, Va., March 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Dominion (NYSE: D)
today announced that it plans to construct, own and operate 81
megawatts (AC) of solar generating capacity in Jasper County, S.C. Two projects – a
71.4-megawatt facility that would be South Carolina's largest and a 10-megawatt
array – are expected to enter service in 2017.
"Dominion is excited to work with a number of partners –
including Solvay and South Carolina Gas & Electric – not only
to bring additional non-carbon-emitting solar generation to the
power grid but also to add to our South
Carolina energy infrastructure portfolio," said Thomas F. Farrell II, chairman, president and
chief executive officer of Dominion. "We are proud of the work we
are doing in South Carolina to
help people, electric and gas distribution companies and industry
access clean energy."
Said South Carolina Gov.
Henry McMaster, "Every time a
company invests in our state, it shows a commitment to succeeding
here, and that couldn't be more important to our people. This
investment represents the continuance of a lasting partnership
between the State of South
Carolina and Dominion."
Dominion's Solvay Solar Energy-Jasper
County, S.C., facility, located near Ridgeland, S.C., will occupy nearly 900 acres
in Jasper County. South Carolina Electric & Gas (SCE&G) has
signed a long-term power purchase agreement (PPA) for the
electricity produced at the facility. Solvay – an international
chemicals and advanced materials company with U.S. sites, among
others, in Charleston,
Greenville, Piedmont, Rock
Hill and Spartanburg – will
purchase all of the associated renewable energy credits (RECs) for
15 years. Jean-Pierre Clamadieu, chief executive officer of Solvay,
said, "This new agreement will help us reduce our CO2 intensity,
one of Solvay's main sustainability goals. It enables the
development of additional renewable energy capacity in a region
where we have a significant presence and allows us to better serve
customer expectations through sustainability."
SCE&G has also signed a PPA on Dominion's 10-megawatt
Ridgeland Solar project, on about 80 acres in Ridgeland, S.C., and will retain the RECs.
"SCE&G is excited to be part of building a clean energy future
for South Carolina," said
Danny Kassis, vice president of
Customer Relations and Renewable Energy for SCE&G.
"Utility-scale solar represents the least-cost approach to solar
energy and provides clean energy for our state. The Jasper County solar projects demonstrate the
continuing emergence of solar energy as a resource that can
supplement reliable, resilient, and safe service that customers in
South Carolina need to grow our
economy."
Dominion acquired the two developments from developer
Adger Solar in November 2016. Mortenson, a leading national
renewable energy company headquartered in Minneapolis, will serve as the engineering,
procurement and construction contractor on the projects.
Approximately 200 jobs are expected to be created during
construction in 2017.
"Jasper County is showing South
Carolina that large-scale solar can be built and sustained in
all 46 counties across the Palmetto State," said Bill Moore, principal of Adger Solar. "Adger
Solar has been working in South Carolina since 2014 and we have over a
half-dozen large-scale solar projects underway. These projects will
provide new jobs to the local communities, tax revenue to the
counties and clean power to the citizens and companies of this
state. We are pleased to be part of the emerging solar energy
industry during this exciting time in South Carolina."
Praise from local and state South
Carolina officials
"South Carolina's renewable
energy sector continues to grow by leaps and bounds, providing
energy to our citizens while protecting our beautiful natural
resources. This new $100 million
investment will make a big difference in the Lowcountry community,
and we congratulate Jasper County
on this great announcement." –Secretary of Commerce Bobby Hitt
"Dominion's investment in alternative energy in Jasper County is an investment in the future
for South Carolina.
SouthernCarolina Alliance is supportive of diversified energy
generation and other solutions that make energy more affordable and
reliable to our industries and our residents." – Buddy Phillips, chairman of the SouthernCarolina
Regional Development Alliance
"We are appreciative that Dominion chose Jasper County for this clean energy project,
which will bring 200 temporary construction jobs to the county
while diversifying our energy generation. Jasper County is proud to be a
business-friendly county that attracts cutting-edge alternatives as
we grow our energy capacity and our residential and industrial
communities." – Martin Sauls,
chairman of the Jasper County Council and chairman of the
Jasper County Chamber of
Commerce
Dominion's energy footprint
The developments announced today would expand Dominion's
operating solar fleet to nine states and more than 1,500 megawatts
by the end of this year. The company has developed and operates
solar generation in neighboring North
Carolina and Georgia.
It also operates Columbia,
S.C.-based Dominion Carolina Gas Transmission, a Federal
Energy Regulatory Commission-regulated, 1,500-mile natural gas
interstate transmission system with operations in Georgia and South
Carolina – including in Jasper
County.
"Today's announcement by Dominion's power generation segment
further solidifies our company's commitment to South Carolina," said Daniel A. Weekley, vice president-Southern
Operations for Dominion. "Our continued aim is to develop projects
in the Palmetto State to provide cleaner energy to our customers,"
he added. Dominion has spent or is spending about $200 million since 2015 on Dominion Carolina Gas
Transmission expansion projects serving SCE&G; industrial
customers such as International Paper, Flakeboard and Wyman Gordon; and the 606-megawatt, gas-fired
Columbia Energy Center power generation facility in Gaston, S.C. The company recently received
FERC approval for the Charleston
project, which is expected to enter service at the end of 2017.
Dominion is one of the nation's largest producers and
transporters of energy, with a portfolio of approximately 26,400
megawatts of generation, 15,000 miles of natural gas transmission,
gathering and storage pipeline, and 6,600 miles of electric
transmission lines. Dominion 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, visit the company's
website at www.dom.com.
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SOURCE Dominion