VIRGINIA BEACH, Va.,
Aug. 2, 2016 /PRNewswire/
-- Dominion Virginia Power, the Department of the Navy and the
Commonwealth of Virginia today reached an agreement to construct a
21-megawatt direct current (18- megawatt alternating current) solar
energy facility at Naval Air Station Oceana in Virginia Beach, Va.
"Solar is an integral part of Dominion's commitment to renewable
energy," said Thomas F. Farrell II,
Dominion chairman, president and CEO. "The Oceana solar
facility, along with four other large solar facilities we have
announced in Virginia, will bring
clean energy to the state, new jobs and other economic benefits.
Partnerships like the ones highlighted with the Department of Navy
and the Commonwealth help to make our state a more attractive place
to live, work and do business. We are very proud of what we
have collectively accomplished today."
Dominion filed a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity
permit with the State Corporation Commission on Aug. 1, 2016. The facility is expected to be
completed and operational in late 2017. In exchange for the nearly
100 acres that will house the 179,000 solar panels, the Navy will
receive an alternative electric feed, which will increase energy
resiliency on the base. The facility will produce enough
electricity at peak to power about 4,400 homes.
This is the second solar project Dominion has collaborated on
with the Navy. In December 2015,
construction was completed at Morgans Corner, a fixed-tilt
25-megawatt direct current (20-megawatt alternating current)
facility spanning 110 acres and consisting of 81,054 solar panels
located in Pasquotank County, N.C.
The project is under a power purchase agreement.
"Not only did we meet the one gigawatt (GW) goal ashore five
years early, we surpassed it – reaching 1.1 GW by the end of last
year. In doing so we've achieved $90
million in nominal energy cost savings, $62 million in energy security hardware upgrades
to bases, 170 megawatts of access to power during outages and 22
million tons of CO2 abated. And we are just getting started," said
Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus.
"Today, the State of Virginia, the
Hampton Roads community, Dominion
Virginia Power and our Navy and Marine Corps are joining together
to add to our success, to protect the future of NS Norfolk and NAS Oceana, and to enhance
national security for the American people."
"Today marks a historic day for both the Commonwealth and the
Navy," said Gov. Terry
McAuliffe. "This announcement shows that the
Commonwealth is leading by example in driving the clean energy
economy forward in Virginia and
working to combat climate change. It also highlights the
importance my administration places on working with our most
important economic partners like the U.S. Department of the
Navy."
Dominion will retire, on the Commonwealth's behalf, renewable
energy certificates in an amount equivalent to the amount of RECs
generated by the Oceana solar facility.
Dominion Virginia Power is a
subsidiary of Dominion (NYSE: D), one of the nation's largest
producers and transporters of energy. Dominion provides energy or
products and services to more than 5 million customers in 14
states. It has a portfolio of approximately 25,700 megawatts of
generation, including more than 1,100 megawatts of renewable
generation, and 6,500 miles of electric transmission
lines. Dominion also operates one of the nation's largest
natural gas storage systems with 933 billion 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