The Nature Conservancy and Dominion Energy Virginia to develop solar project on former coal mine

A new collaboration was announced this week between the Nature Conservancy and Dominion Energy Virginia, promising repurposing of roughly 1,200 acres of the former Red Onion surface coal mine and surrounding properties into one of the state’s first utility-scale solar projects.

Located in Southwest Virginia, the effort will be dubbed The Highlands Solar project and, once complete, it will generate approximately 50 MW of solar energy. While providing enough energy to power about 12,500 homes at peak output, the facility will also bring additional local tax revenues to communities in Wise and Dickenson Counties. It will also be able to tap into additional funding through Solar Siting Agreements.

“This project is a huge win for Southwest Virginia’s economy,” Ed Baine, president of Dominion Energy Virginia, said. “It’s also another major step toward building a 100 percent clean energy economy in Virginia. Repurposing former coal mines for solar is a smart way to enhance the region’s economy and bring renewables to Southwest Virginia.”

Highlands Solar will be developed within the Cumberland Forest Project — a largely protected region of nearly 253,000 acres managed by The Nature Conservancy and owned by the Cumberland Forest, LP impact investment fund — and the surrounding area. Several thousand acres of non-forested, former surface coal mines exist on these properties that these organizations have determined to be capable of supporting solar energy projects.

“Southwest Virginia and the wider Central Appalachian coalfields have an important role to play in the renewable energy economy,” Brad Kreps, director of The Nature Conservancy’s Clinch Valley Program, said. “Some of the region’s former mined lands are well suited for solar development and by directing development towards these areas it will help us conserve the region’s intact forests for wood products, carbon storage, wildlife habitats, outdoor recreation and tourism. By collaborating with Dominion Energy and other companies on these initial projects, we hope to develop a model that can be replicated in other coal mining regions across the U.S.”

This latest effort will nevertheless take years to achieve, and Dominion intends to conduct additional field studies, plan development and pursue local and state permitting processes during that time. Construction isn’t expected to begin until 2024 or 2025, at which point the project will be developed jointly by Dominion and the ANTARES Group.