Mon Power and Potomac Edison Begin Construction on Third Solar Facility in West Virginia

WEST VIRGINIA News (9/24/2024) Mon Power and Potomac Edison, subsidiaries of FirstEnergy Corp., have initiated construction on their third large-scale solar facility in West Virginia. The new site, located in Berkeley County along Interstate 81 and the Potomac River, is being developed to help meet the state’s energy demands while contributing to local economic growth.

The Marlowe solar project is situated on a 36-acre plot of land previously used as an ash disposal site for the former R. Paul Smith Power Station. Following the removal of more than three million tons of ash, FirstEnergy completed the site’s environmental cleanup in 2022, preparing it for redevelopment as part of the company’s solar initiative.

Dan Rossero, Vice President of FirstEnergy’s West Virginia Generation, expressed the company’s commitment to sustainable development: “The redevelopment of this site into a clean, renewable energy source is aligned with our commitment to support economic growth in West Virginia as well as our efforts to build a more sustainable future for the communities we serve.”

Slated for completion in 2025, the Marlowe facility will generate up to 5.75 megawatts of solar power, enough to supply electricity to approximately 1,000 homes, based on national averages provided by the Solar Energy Industries Association. The facility’s construction will rely on local union labor, and the materials used, including the solar panels and electrical equipment, are sourced from the United States.

The project is part of Mon Power and Potomac Edison’s broader West Virginia solar program, which stems from a 2020 bill passed by the state legislature. This legislation allows electric utilities to develop and manage up to 200 megawatts of solar energy generation to address local electricity needs. Additionally, the growth of renewable energy capacity in West Virginia is expected to attract businesses that prioritize sourcing electricity from renewable sources.

Mon Power and Potomac Edison have already made progress in their solar program, having completed an 18.9 megawatt project at the Fort Martin Power Station in Maidsville earlier this year. They also began construction on a 5.5 megawatt site in Rivesville in March. Together, these projects form the initial phase of the companies’ plan to develop a total of 200 megawatts of solar energy in West Virginia.

The five solar projects currently planned by the companies will produce a total of 50 megawatts of solar power and generate more than 87,000 solar renewable energy credits (SRECs) annually. These credits represent the environmental benefits of solar energy production and can be purchased by customers who want to support renewable energy generation in the state. For each megawatt hour of solar power produced, one SREC is generated.

Since the program’s inception, both residential and commercial customers, including the National Energy Technology Laboratory in Morgantown and the town of Harpers Ferry, have enrolled to purchase SRECs. The cost of purchasing these credits is 4 cents per kilowatt hour, in addition to standard electricity rates.

As Mon Power and Potomac Edison continue to expand their solar program, they plan to seek approval from the West Virginia Public Service Commission to build additional solar facilities in Davis, Tucker County, and Weirton, Hancock County. These projects, which would generate 11.5 megawatts and 8.4 megawatts, respectively, will proceed once 85% of the SRECs from these sites are committed to customers.

Mon Power currently serves approximately 395,000 customers across 34 counties in West Virginia, while Potomac Edison serves around 440,000 customers, including 155,000 in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia and 285,000 in Maryland. Further details about the companies’ solar program are available on FirstEnergy’s website.

Story by multiple RFHC contributors

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