(Richmond, Va.) — State regulators have signed off on two large solar projects in Pittsylvania County.
The State Corporation Commission this weekend approved over a dozen new projects that will supply Dominion Energy Virginia. In total, the projects will generate 764 megawatts. That’s enough to power nearly 200,000 homes at peak output.
Dominion estimates construction on these projects will support more than 1,600 jobs and generate $570 million in economic benefits across Virginia.
One of the projects is Blue Ridge Solar. That’s a 95-megawatt facility that will be built west of Chatham. That $158 million project will generate 95 megawatts of power. That’s enough to supply power to over 37,000 homes.
The other is the Michaux Solar project in the Axton community. That will be a 50-megawatt solar generating center on 850 acres in Pittsylvania County. It will cross into Henry County, creating a total project area of 1,400 acres between the two counties.
Michaux plans to hire 150 construction workers. The solar farm will have two or three full-time workers.
According to a press release, this will give Dominion more than 4.6 gigawatts (GW) of approved solar farms in Virginia – enough to power more than 1.1 million homes at peak output. The utility currently delivers electricity to more than 2.5 million homes and businesses in the state.
“Through our investments in offshore wind, battery storage, and solar, Virginia continues to make progress on its clean energy transition,” said Ed Baine, President of Dominion Energy Virginia.
According to the Solar Energy Industries Association, Virginia is ranked 11th in the number of solar panels approved and is expected to move up to ninth place in five years.
The state currently gets 6.56% of its electricity from solar, and as of December 2023, coal is still its leading source of net electricity generation, followed by natural gas.