RICHMOND, Va., Nov. 2, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Dominion Energy
Virginia is moving forward on clean energy projects, from sources
such as solar and wind, to meet its commitment of 3,000 megawatts
of renewable energy in operation or under development by 2022.
The company has already taken several steps in the three months
since announcing the goal:
- Surveying non-residential customers about their renewable
energy needs
- Seeking bids for up to 500 megawatts of solar and onshore
wind
- Requesting approval for 240 megawatts of solar generation in
Virginia
- Receiving approval for a Community Solar Pilot for residential,
commercial, and industrial customers
- Continuing plans to build two six-megawatt wind turbines off
the coast of Virginia Beach
- Engaging with a broad array of stakeholders on future solar
development
- Planning a Request for Proposals (RFP) for up to 50 megawatts
of smaller scale solar projects in 2019
"We are wasting no time moving forward on our plans for clean
energy investments, including solar, natural gas and nuclear as
part of a generation portfolio that will lower emission rates while
protecting reliability and customer rates," said Paul Koonce, CEO of Dominion Energy Power
Generation Group. "Backed up by units using low-emitting natural
gas, renewable resources will play an increasingly important role
in the company's generation fleet serving customers in Virginia."
In the past four years, Dominion Energy's solar fleet in
Virginia has flourished. At the
beginning of 2015, the company's solar portfolio totaled just over
1 megawatt. At the time, the company set a goal of 400 megawatts
under development in Virginia by
2020. It now has 824 megawatts in operation or under development in
Virginia.
The Virginia expansion will add
to the parent company's solar fleet, which is the fourth largest in
the nation. With more than 3,300 megawatts of renewable energy
resources either operational or under development across 10 states,
Dominion Energy is an industry leader in renewable energy.
The company's solar fleet in Virginia will nearly quadruple in size under
the company's commitment of 3,000 megawatts of renewable energy in
operation or under development by 2022. A recent RFP for up to 500
megawatt of solar and onshore wind is the first of an anticipated
annual procurement process each fall for larger scale projects of
at least 5-megawatts. An initial RFP for smaller scale solar is
planned for spring 2019 seeking 50 megawatts of projects, with the
expectation that by 2022 the annual RFP will be issued in January
for up to 150 megawatts.
As an industry leader in solar innovation, the company is also
creating unique partnerships with large customers to meet their
sustainability goals, exploring the potential of brownfield solar
sites, such as closed landfills and abandoned mines, and
transforming the energy grid to improve its ability to connect to
renewable energy sources.
Additionally, Dominion Energy Virginia customers are one step
closer today to getting power from a new, renewable form of energy.
The State Corporation Commission ruled in favor of plans to build
two six-megawatt wind turbines off the coast of Virginia Beach. The $300 million project will be funded through
existing base rates, as enabled by the Grid Transformation &
Security Act of 2018 (GTSA). Contingent on various regulatory
approvals, onshore construction would start in 2019, followed by
turbine installation and operation in 2020.
Dominion Energy is one of only three investor owned utilities to
reduce our carbon intensity by more than 40 percent since 2000. The
recent enactment of the GTSA allows further improvement on its
environmental successes. In addition to helping modernize the
energy grid to expand the use of renewables, it also calls for a
battery storage pilot and increases in energy efficiency programs
over the next ten years.
The company remains focused on keeping energy affordable while
investing in renewables and innovative technology. The GTSA
mandates a $130 million investment in
EnergyShare over the next decade, providing weatherization and bill
assistance to elderly, low-income, veterans and customers with
disabilities. It also provided a $125
million cut to customer base rates due to federal tax reform
and a $133 million bill credit this
past July. In January, customers will see another $67 million bill credit due to the law. The GTSA
also creates a reinvestment model to help the company continue
delivering great value to our customers.
The law also required Dominion Energy to submit a report to the
General Assembly on solar energy on Nov.
1. It can be found here:
http://www.dominionenergy.com/next.
About Dominion Energy
Nearly 6 million customers in 19
states energize their homes and businesses with electricity or
natural gas from Dominion Energy (NYSE: D), headquartered in
Richmond, Va. The company is
committed to sustainable, reliable, affordable, and safe energy and
is one of the nation's largest producers and transporters of energy
with nearly $80 billion of assets
providing electric generation, transmission and distribution, as
well as natural gas storage, transmission, distribution, and
import/export services. As one of the nation's leading solar
operators, the company intends to reduce its carbon intensity 50
percent by 2030. Through its Dominion Energy Charitable Foundation,
as well as EnergyShare and other programs, Dominion Energy plans to
contribute more than $30 million in
2018 to community causes throughout its footprint and beyond.
Please visit www.DominionEnergy.com, Facebook or Twitter to learn
more.
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SOURCE Dominion Energy