DEV will only consider proposals for facilities located within PJM territory, not including those located in the state of Virginia.

All electrical output from the facilities will be delivered to the PJM Dominion Transmission Zone. Facilities that achieved a commercial operations date (COD) after October 1, 2021, and facilities under construction that achieve COD prior to the end of calendar year 2035 are eligible.

All participating bidders must register by submitting an Intent to Bid Form and an executed confidentiality agreement by August 30. The proposal submission deadline is September 30.

The Intent to Bid Form, CA, and other additional information on the RFP can also be found on the company’s website. 

This week, Virginia Electric and Power Company, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Dominion Energy, agreed to acquire the Kitty Hawk North Wind offshore wind lease and associated developments from Avangrid for approximately $160 million, including a payment of roughly $3,000 per acre for the nearly 40,000-acre lease.

If approved by regulators and constructed, the former Kitty Hawk North Wind site, which will be known as CVOW-South, would connect to the company’s transmission grid and have a capacity of 800 MW. Avangrid retains the ownership and associated rights to Kitty Hawk South, and says it will continue the development of the area, which can potentially deliver up to 2.4 GW to North Carolina, Virginia, or other states or private companies. After receipt of necessary approvals from the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and the City of Virginia Beach, Dominion Energy and Avangrid expect to close the transaction in the fourth quarter of 2024.

State regulators approved Dominion Energy’s long-term energy storage proposals last week, as Appalachian Power Company is seeking bids for a swath of renewable electricity sources, marking the advancement of renewable energy projects at Virginia’s two largest electric utilities.

The approval for Dominion is seen as a critical next step in supplying electricity to the grid in the coming years, when renewable sources like solar and wind won’t be producing electricity through storage technology that is more capable than the traditional technology more widely used today. 

Appalachian Power Company’s request for projects comes as the utility, which primarily serves the Southwest region of the state, continues its work to transition to renewable energy sources as part of the Virginia Clean Economy Act, a 2020 law that aims to decarbonize the electric grid by mid-century.

Dominion’s approval

Toward the end of last year, Dominion filed its application for approval of the three projects, one of which consists of a 5 megawatt iron-air battery and a 4 megawatt zinc-hybrid battery at the utility’s Darbytown Station in Henrico County. 

The other two projects consist of a 2 megawatt lithium-ion one at the utility’s training center in Chesterfield County and a 1.5 megawatt nickel-hydrogen one at Virginia State University.

Altogether, the three projects would join 16 megawatts-worth of battery projects already approved under a pilot program, capped at 30 megawatts, to develop energy storage projects granted to Dominion through the 2018 Grid Transformation and Security Act, Virginia’s last major legislative overhaul to the electric grid prior to the VCEA.

But what’s different with the Darbytown and VSU projects is that they would dispatch energy for durations up to 100 hours for one and 16 for another in Henrico County, and 10 hours at the school, rather than the usual four-hour duration of lithium-ion batteries.

“Two of the pilots not only involve alternatives to lithium-ion batteries, but some of the new technology that will be tested could offer much longer battery discharge times,” Dominion spokesperson Tim Eberly stated. “That’s very important because we need to be able to store energy from solar and wind for when our customers need it the most.”

Regulators approved the projects after some questions from the Attorney General’s Office of Consumer Counsel, which is charged with advocating for ratepayer protections on behalf of the public. 

Assistant Attorney General John Farmer questioned Brandon Martin, Dominion’s manager of business development, during a hearing on the proposals on how the most expensive of the previously approved projects cost $26 million, and the 100-hour Darbytown one is estimated to be $70 million, despite materials for the latest projects being non-rare earth metals and sourced domestically.

“When you look at [a lithium-ion project], you’re roughly 48 megawatt hours of [duration]. It’s a four hour system,” Martin said during the hearing. “This is 510 megawatt hours [of duration]. So drastically different duration of a battery, and that’s where your cost is drastically different.”

Regulators noted the projects would come with an economic impact for the state, the application stated, though specifics were not provided.

The approval also came after regulators reviewed a report from the Department of Environmental Quality to implement environmental protections, such as delineating, or identifying, where wetlands are in relation to the projects. 

The projects would come online by 2026 in Henrico County, the third quarter of 2025 in Chesterfield and in 2027 at VSU. Reports on the effectiveness of the pilots would be due by March 31 annually.

Appalachian Power Company seeking applications

Appalachian Power is seeking bids for batteries and several different types of renewable energy technologies. The company has already met an 8% renewable requirement in 2023 and expects to make a 10% requirement in 2024.

The first bid package Appalachian seeks is to develop 800 megawatts of wind and/or solar generation, co-located with stand alone battery sources. The utility wants to acquire projects, through a purchase and sale agreement, that are in Virginia or on an eligible site in West Virginia, in accordance with a recently passed law. Projects must be at least 50 megawatts in size for wind and solar, and 10 megawatts in size for battery storage, and be operational by the end of 2028.

The second bid proposal is seeking up to 300 megawatts of solar and/or wind resources through a power purchase agreement, or PPA, a way to acquire electricity by buying it from a third party developer and then deliver it to customers without directly owning the generation facility. 

Environmental and ratepayer advocates have encouraged this business deal because of a lower-cost option it affords customers, rather than a utility building a new source on their own. The projects must be at least 50 megawatts in size for wind and 5 megawatts in size for solar, and also be operational by the end of 2028.

The third set of bids Appalachian Power seeks are for renewable energy certificates, or RECs, that are created when one megawatt hour of electricity is generated and sent to the electric grid from that source. The REC is able to be sold from the generator to the receiver so that the company acquiring it can count it toward its renewable energy goals. Appalachian Power is allowed to acquire RECs for compliance with the VCEA.

“The advertised RFPs play an important role in helping us meet our clean energy commitments,” said Aaron Walker, Appalachian Power president and chief operating officer, in a statement. “These projects will also support local communities by generating jobs and [a] tax base.”  

The proposals must be submitted by July 16.

The utility currently owns one five megawatt solar project in Amherst, and has a PPA with five wind farms and three other solar farms, spokesperson Teresa Hall stated. Appalachian Power has a PPA contract with 10 other solar projects that are not yet in service. 

Two wind projects approved by the SCC but also not yet in service will be owned by Appalachian power, as well as a battery-energy storage project still needing approval from regulators.

“We are making steady progress with our projects,” Hall said.

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The projects amount to 764 MW overall, including four solar projects totaling 329 MW that will be owned or acquired by Dominion Energy Virginia, and 13 power-purchase agreements (PPAs) totaling 435 MW with independently owned solar projects.

“These projects deliver on our promise of reliable, affordable, and increasingly clean energy for our customers,” said Ed Baine, President of Dominion Energy Virginia. “Through our investments in offshore wind, battery storage, and solar, Virginia continues to make progress on its clean energy transition.”

The approval marks an expansion of Dominion Energy’s growing solar fleet, which is currently the second largest in the nation. When those projects are complete, the company will surpass 4,600 MW of approved solar projects in Virginia, the company said.

The projects require local and state permits before construction may begin and are expected to be complete by 2026. The cost of the projects is estimated to add approximately $1.54 to the average residential customer’s monthly bill, Dominion Energy Virginia said.

Originally published in Renewable Energy World.

Facebook will take the electricity generated at the facility as well as the renewable energy credits, under a long-term agreement signed prior to the project’s construction.

This marks Dominion Energy’s first solar energy investment in Ohio, where the company owns and operates a Cleveland-based natural gas local distribution company serving 1.2 million customer accounts in northeastern Ohio. Dominion owns solar arrays in nine other states, including in North Carolina, South Carolina and Utah, where the company also owns and operates gas utilities.

Dominion Energy closed on the acquisition in 2020, and construction activities were completed in December.

“With this solar project, Dominion Energy is expanding our solar generating portfolio into Ohio, where we have a deep history of serving our customers and communities through our local distribution business,” said Diane Leopold, executive vice president and chief operating officer. “We continue to acquire and/or develop clean energy projects for companies like Facebook that are looking to reduce their carbon footprints and to contribute to combating climate change.”

“Invenergy is proud to further our partnerships with both Dominion Energy and Facebook, which reflect our commitment to sustainability that carries across our work with utilities and corporate renewable energy purchasers alike,” said Ted Romaine, senior vice president of Origination at Invenergy. “Invenergy Services will also bring our award-winning operations and maintenance expertise to the project.”

The project is expected to begin construction in mid-2021, with commercial operation targeted to commence by the end of 2022. The approximately $133 million solar facility brings the number of Savion-developed projects in Virginia to four, resulting in 190 MW of solar power and a total investment in excess of $285 million.

Solar generation is a vital part of Dominion Energy’s comprehensive clean energy strategy. The company is expanding renewable energy to meet the objectives outlined in the Virginia Clean Economy Act and to achieve the companywide commitment to net zero carbon dioxide and methane emissions by 2050.

“The Wythe County Solar Project PPA marks the second agreement Savion has signed with Dominion Energy.” Diana Scholtes, chief commercial officer for Savion, said., “We remain focused on our Virginia solar energy development to assist Dominion Energy in reaching its clean energy goals, which serves as a leading contributor to the state’s advancing renewable energy market.”

Virginia-based Dominion sold the gas transmission and storage business to Berkshire Hathaway Energy for ab out $8 billion. The deal includes $2.7 billion in cash and transfer of approximately $5.3 billion of related debt.

These operations include more than 5,500 miles of interstate gas transmission pipelines, about 775 billion cubic feet (Bcf) of gas storage that the company operates and an operating 25 percent stake in Cove Point.

The sale of the company’s interests in the Questar Pipelines, also to Berkshire Hathaway Energy, is expected to be completed in early 2021 following receipt of Hart-Scott-Rodino clearance. The company has received a cash payment of approximately $1.3 billion in anticipation of the sale of these interests and will transfer approximately $430 million of related debt to Berkshire Hathaway Energy upon close of this follow-on transaction.

The company’s regulated utility is moving toward energy sustainability and emissions reduction in its five-state service territory.

“We offer an industry-leading clean-energy profile which includes a comprehensive net zero target by 2050 for both carbon and methane emissions as well as one of the nation’s largest zero-carbon electric generation and storage investment programs,” Dominion CEO Tom Farrell said in a statement when the deal was announced earlier this year. “Over the next 15 years we plan to invest up to $55 billion in emissions reduction technologies including zero-carbon generation and energy storage, gas distribution line replacement, and renewable natural gas. In addition, between 2018 and 2025 we expect to retire more than four gigawatts of coal- and oil-fired electric generation.”

The full transaction is expected to result in a nearly $6 billion reduction in Dominion Energy debt.

Berkshire Hathaway Energy is a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. The energy arm owns Mid-American Energy and other utilities.

The Low-Carbon Resources Initiative (LCRI) is an international collaborative spanning the electric and gas sectors that aims to help advance global, economy-wide deep decarbonization. With 18 anchor sponsors, the LCRI leverages the collaborative research model employed by both companies, bringing industry stakeholders together to conduct clean energy R&D for society’s benefit. Seeded with $10 million from the EPRI collaborative, funding for the initiative is expected to be leveraged many times over its $100 million target through public and private collaboration.

Sponsors of the initiative include:

American Electric Power, Con Edison, Dominion Energy, Duke Energy, Exelon Corporation, Lincoln Electric System, Los Angeles Department of Water & Power, Missouri River Energy Services, Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems, Americas, National Fuel, New York Power Authority, Portland General Electric, PPL Corporation, Salt River Project, SoCalGas, Southern California Edison, Southern Company, and the Tennessee Valley Authority

The LCRI is targeting advancements in low-carbon electric generation technologies and low-carbon energy carriers, such as hydrogen, ammonia, synthetic fuels and biofuels. This worldwide collaborative will:

• Identify and accelerate fundamental development of promising technologies,
• Demonstrate and assess the performance of key technologies and processes, and
• Inform key stakeholders and the public about technology options and potential pathways to a low-carbon future.

EPRI President Arshad Mansoor, said, “Achieving ambitious targets will require technologies and processes beyond those widely available today. This global initiative will advance affordable pathways to economy-wide decarbonization.”

“This initiative advances the next-generation clean energy technologies that are critical to achieving net zero emissions within Dominion Energy and across the broader economy. Hydrogen is one of the most promising of these innovations because of its potential to decarbonize many sectors, including power generation, heating, transportation, shipping and manufacturing,” said Mark Webb, Chief Innovation Officer, Dominion Energy.

“This partnership will further efforts to initiate new highly-technical research projects that will address LADWP’s evolving needs and engage in new low-carbon channels for the generation, delivery and end use of electricity in ways that support reliability, sustainability and efficiency,” said Reiko Kerr, Senior Assistant General Manager, Power System Engineering, Planning, and Technical Services, LADWP

Learn more about the LCRI at www.LowCarbonLCRI.com.

Farrell is moving into a pure executive chair role with the Dominion board of directors as part of a major leadership transition taking hold in October. He will be succeeded as CEO and president by Robert Blue, who is co-chief operating officer and executive vice president.

Read more stories about Dominion in Power Engineering!

Blue’s promotion is effective on October 1. Meanwhile, Dominion’s other co-COO Diane Leopold is taking that role on exclusively. Edward Baine will be promoted to president of Dominion Energy  Virginia.

Farrell joined Dominion Energy 25 years ago. He was named CEO in 2006 and added the role of board chairman one year later.

“One of my goals as CEO was to build a strong leadership team and a long-term succession plan,” said Farrell. “Today’s announcement is the next step in that process.”

Blue joined Dominion Energy in 2005 and has held a succession of services and operational executive roles since his promotion to officer in 2007, including vice president-State and Federal Affairs; senior vice president-Public Policy and Corporate Communications; senior vice president-Regulation, Law, Energy Solutions, & Policy; president-Dominion Virginia Power; and his current role as executive vice president and co-chief operating officer.

Prior to joining Dominion Energy, Blue served as counselor to the Governor and director of policy for Virginia Governor Mark Warner, as an attorney and partner at then-Hogan & Hartson, and as a law clerk for the U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of Virginia. Blue has been a board member of a wide range of community organizations and is currently a member of the Virginia Health Care Foundation and Communities in Schools of Virginia as well as the University of Virginia’s Board of Visitors. Blue is a graduate of the University of Virginia, Yale Law School and the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business. 

Leopold joined Dominion Energy in 1995 and became an officer in 2004. She held a wide range of executive roles in both the electric and natural gas businesses of the company prior to her current role as executive vice president and co-chief operating officer. These include senior vice president-Business Development & Generation Construction; senior vice president-Dominion Transmission; and executive vice president and CEO-Gas Infrastructure Group.

Leopold currently serves as chair of the American Gas Association. She is a member of the Board of Trustees of Virginia Union University and is on the board of directors of Markel Corporation and of the Growth and Opportunity Virginia Foundation. Leopold is a graduate of the University of Sussex in the United Kingdom and has a master’s degree in engineering from George Washington University. She earned her MBA from Virginia Commonwealth University. 

Baine joined the company in 1995 as an associate engineer after earning a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Virginia Tech, and since has held numerous engineering, operational and management positions. He was promoted to vice president-Shared Services in 2009, and became vice president—Power Generation System Operations in 2013 and senior vice president—Transmission & Customer Service in 2015. In 2016, he was named senior vice president-Distribution, Power Delivery Group, and assumed his current role as senior vice president-Power Delivery for Dominion Energy Virginia in 2019.

Dominion provides electricity and/or natural gas to seven million customers in 20 states. The Richmond, Va.-based utility had announced goal to reach net zero carbon and methane missions from its power generation and gas infrastructure operations by 2050.

Old Dominion Electric Cooperative and EDF Renewables North America announced they will expand their development efforts to add 15 new solar projects across the cooperative’s service territory in Virginia, Maryland and Delaware. The combined projects will have a capacity of more than 60 MW and be in service by next year, according to the release.

Old Dominion originally signed an agreement with EDF Renewables in 2019 for 30 MW of solar across 10 to 12 sites. EDF also will develop the new projects and ODEC would buy the power generated at a fixed rate through power purchase agreements.

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Power Engineering covers solar energy projects globally. Click here to see more stories on solar.

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“ODEC is excited to add to our diverse supply of low-cost, clean energy through these solar projects,” said Marcus Harris, President and CEO of ODEC. “Our cooperative is dedicated to expanding renewable energy generation as part of our ongoing commitment to providing our member owners with safe, affordable, reliable, and sustainable power.”

EDF was chosen as ODEC’s partner through a competitive process led by the National Renewables Cooperative Organization. EDF will development all of the solar sites and handle permitting, design, engineering and commissioning.

“EDF Renewables is happy to expand our business with ODEC and NRCO, who are already taking a long-term view by choosing local solar energy,” Myles Burnsed, vice president of strategic development for EDF Renewables, said in a statement. “This choice strengthens their energy independency and demonstrates to businesses across the nation who can play a part and conduct business as normal as possible in these unprecedented times.”

Old Dominion Electric Cooperative is a non-profit, member-owned supplier of wholesale power for 11 member distribution cooperatives serving about 1.5 million customers in Virginia, Maryland and Delaware.

EDF Renewables North America’s development portfolio includes 16 GW of utility-scale wind, solar photovoltaic and energy storage projects. It is a subsidiary of French-based energy giant EDF Group.

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Utility-scale solar and wind will be part of the content in the Renewables Knowledge Hub on the exhibition floor of POWERGEN International, still happening December 8-10 in Orlando, Florida.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission announced Friday that it has approved Exelon Generation’s application extending the licensing for Peach Bottom Power Stations Units 2 and 3 another 20 years. The renewed licenses now expire in the 2050s, which will be 80 years after the two units became operational.

The 80-year license is uncharted territory for U.S. nuclear power plants. The extensions are seen as a necessity in pro-nuclear corners because the plants offer high capacity, zero carbon and reliable output at a time when only one new facility is being built.

“We are pleased with the NRC’s decision to grant a subsequent license renewal for Peach Bottom Units 2 and 3,” said Bryan Hanson, Exelon Nuclear chief nuclear officer. “This plant is well suited to continue running safely, reliably and efficiently, given the extensive upgrades accomplished over the past seven years.” 

Unit 2 is renewed through August 2053, while Unit 3 to July 2054, according to the NRC. Both units utilize GE boiling water reactors and were commissioned in 1974.

Nearly $90 million worth of upgrades were recently completed at the Peach Bottom facility, according to Exelon. Its capacity is around 2,770 MW of carbon-free electricity, enough to power close to 2.7 million homes.

Trump Administration Energy Secretaries Rick Perry and (current) Dan Brouillette both have touted nuclear energy for its carbon-free output and on-site fuel security. In addition to Exelon, Dominion Energy and NextEra Energy have either filed requests or are considering license extensions for some of their nuclear power plants.

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Nuclear energy will be part of the Lowering Carbon with Thermal Generation track at POWERGEN International happening December 8-10 in Orlando, Florida.