Permits issued for two new solar facilities
Published
Gov. Terry McAuliffe announced new investments in Virginia’s solar industry Wednesday. Permits have been issued for two new projects.
The first, a 20-megawatt (MW) facility under development by Coronal Development Services, will be on about 275 acres in Dunnsville in Essex County.
Virginia Solar will build the second project, also with 20 MW of capacity, on a 720-acre parcel in Powhatan County.
The governor’s office says these projects represent a significant step in Virginia’s initiative to move towards mixed-use energy generation. Since McAuliffe took office in 2014, Virginia has seen its installed solar capacity grow from 17 MW to more than 188 MW at the end of 2016.
The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality issued the permits through a streamlined regulatory framework that supports the speedy deployment of renewable energy infrastructure while assessing the potential environmental impacts of new facilities.
