Va. county approves 800-MW solar project

An 800-MW solar project in rural Virginia moved a step closer to commercial operation.

The Charlotte County, Va., Board of Supervisors granted a conditional-use permit July 5 for the Randolph Solar project proposed by developer SolUnesco Inc., according to the (South Boston, Va.) News & Record.

The board voted 4-2 to approve the permit following a public hearing, the newspaper reported.

SolUnesco plans to sell the solar plant to Dominion Energy Inc. subsidiary Dominion Energy Virginia after its completion. The utility, known legally as Virginia Electric and Power Co., agreed to accelerate payments to Charlotte County from another project under development to help secure approval of the Randolph Solar proposal.

Dominion previously agreed to pay the county $1 million as part of a siting agreement tied to its February acquisition of the 167-MW Courthouse Solar project, the company said in a June 21 letter to Daniel Witt, county administrator, and Gary Walker, chairman of the Charlotte County Board of Supervisors. The payment is scheduled to be made 45 days after the project reaches commercial operation, which Dominion anticipates will occur "no earlier than late 2025."

The company therefore agreed to accelerate its payment and provide the county $500,000 within 10 days after the Courthouse Solar plant receives approval from the Virginia State Corporation Commission, followed by a second $500,000 payment a year later. Dominion plans to file for regulatory approval in September and hopes to receive a final order within six months of filing its application.

Michigan-based developer Novi Energy LLC is behind the Courthouse project.

The terms of the offer were subject to the Charlotte County Board of Supervisors approving a conditional-use permit and siting agreement for the Randolph Solar project.

The 45 conditions placed on the siting agreement and Dominion's pledge to accelerate payments from the Courthouse project swayed at least two commissioners who were initially opposed to Randolph Solar to vote for its approval, according to the newspaper article.

SolUnesco, a Virginia-based solar developer, is not expected to apply for SCC approval until sometime in 2024.

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