PSC Approves Solar Project In Mineral County Amid Statewide Boom

The 100-megawatt solar facility will be built by Potomac Hills Energy on a 650-acre former strip mining site.

Black solar panels spread out over a rolling hill, with new grass planted below and a gravel road running between them.

The West Virginia Public Service Commission has approved a solar project in Mineral County.

The 100-megawatt solar facility will be built by Potomac Hills Energy on a 650-acre former strip-mining site.

A 200-megawatt-hour battery storage system is also planned. The facility will connect to FirstEnergy, the parent company of Mon Power and Potomac Edison.

Solar is undergoing a bit of a boom in the state. West Virginia’s largest solar facility was activated in Monongalia County in January. It’s operated by FirstEnergy. The company is building a second solar facility in Marion County, and three more are planned elsewhere.

The U.S. Department of Energy will provide up to $129 million for a solar project in Nicholas County on two former coal mines. It is planned to generate 250 megawatts of electricity.

Savion, a subsidiary of Shell based in Kansas City, Missouri, will build the project. 

Author: Curtis Tate

Curtis is our Energy & Environment Reporter, based in Charleston. He has spent more than 17 years as a reporter and copy editor for Gannett, Dow Jones and McClatchy. He has written extensively about travel, transportation and Congress for USA TODAY, The Bergen Record, The Lexington Herald-Leader, The Wichita Eagle, The Belleville News-Democrat and The Sacramento Bee. You can reach him at ctate@wvpublic.org.

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