State of WV has authorized 50 MW of Solar Energy per Utility

As part of our ongoing effort to support reliable electricity and economic development in West Virginia, FirstEnergy is in the process of developing a first phase of solar energy facilities that will generate approximately 50 megawatts of power. The program is designed to encourage economic development in West Virginia and help us meet the growing demand for renewable energy by our residential, commercial and industrial customers.

The energy generated from our solar facilities will be available for purchase via Solar Renewable Energy Credits by Mon Power customers or Potomac Edison customers located in West Virginia.

If you would like to sign up to learn more about FirstEnergy’s solar program and subscribe, please fill out the fields below and submit your information.

SOLAR ENERGY FORM: https://www.firstenergycorp.com/mon_power/wv-solar-program.html

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SEE ALSO ~ Delegate Evan Hansen, Regarding the Legislative Energy Committee Meeting, June 15, 2022

Yesterday’s Energy Committee meeting focused on solar was…interesting. The good news is that West Virginia’s utilities are moving forward with their first large solar projects and report strong interest in solar electricity from their customers, including industrial customers that demand large amounts of renewable energy. This was the argument we made when passing SB 583 in 2020.

But several legislators tried to focus the hearing on the benefits of burning more coal — when 1/3 of the U.S. population (including much of West Virginia) was under heat warnings and advisories for triple-digit-high temperatures and more than 33 large fires were burning across five states and more than 1 million acres.

Thankfully, individuals and businesses want to be part of the solution to climate change, and state policy is slowly moving in that direction despite objections from legislators committed to the status quo.

Robert Goes Solar -– Falling Waters, West Virginia

From Solar United Neighbors in West Virginia, July 2, 2019

Get help from Solar United Neighbors

Go solar and join the future! System size: 11.4 kW

Why did you decide to go solar?

My wife and I have owned an electric vehicle since 2015 and we knew we wanted to have enough solar to power the car and the house. Our array provides enough power to offset the annual usage of the all-electric house, two electric vehicles, and all electric lawn equipment. Controlling the source and cost of energy for the home and cars was a big factor along with minimizing CO2 emissions and pollution.

Has anything surprised you about going solar?

I was quite surprised by how quickly the array went up on the roof. The paperwork may have taken a few weeks, but the actual install was fast. I’m very pleased with the look of the final installation.

What electricity savings have you experienced since going solar?

Since the system went onto a new house we are unsure about exact usage, but I am estimating about $2,700 saved in electricity since September 2017. I estimate an additional $1,300 saved in fuel for vehicles over that time. We have also made efficiency improvements to the house, so there are some variables, but we’ve had a $5/month power bill, the minimum charge, since March 2018 and have a 3,500 kWh credit at the moment.

What advice would you give to someone is considering going solar?

First, look at solar not only as an investment in your home, but also the environment. Second, consider what efficiency upgrades you can make to your existing home. Get an energy audit! Lastly, I’d recommend pairing an electric vehicle with your solar system if at all possible. Once you know the convenience of waking up to a full tank every morning and not even noticing the price of gas, you won’t go back. And, EVs are a blast to drive! Go solar and join the future!

TOMORROW …. “West Virginia fails to legalize Power Purchase Agreements”

Solar panels are easy to install and supplement our electricity supply

From Appalachian Voices, outreach@appvoices.org, May 30, 2020

Dear Friends and Concerned Citizens:

A special interest group with ties to monopoly utilities filed a petition with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to try to end a fundamental policy that allows solar and wind owners to earn fair credit for the surplus electricity they produce. The deadline to stop this attack is in just a few weeks.

The Southern Environmental Law Center is representing Appalachian Voices at the FERC to help fight against this petition. But we need your input to tell the story of the negative impacts that would occur if FERC puts an end to net metering.

Millions of families and businesses have invested tens of billions of their own dollars in clean energy. As FERC makes decisions about the future of clean energy, it needs to hear from families and businesses in Appalachia and beyond about the negative impacts ending the net metering policy would have.

Clean Energy Survey > Appalachian Voices

Fill out our quick survey to help us protect clean energy!

For a clean energy future,

Chelsea Barnes,
New Economy Program Manager

Planning for much more solar & wind power

From a Report by Ivy Main, Power for the People VA, April 3, 2020

Virginia joins RGGI, less CO2 emissions

Virginia’s Department of Environmental Quality has already written the regulations that call for Virginia power plants to reduce emissions by 30 percent by 2030. The mechanism for achieving this involves Virginia trading with the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, a regional carbon cap and trade market.

The regulations have been on hold as the result of a budget amendment passed last year, when Republicans still ruled the General Assembly. After July 1, DEQ will be able to implement the regulations, with the commonwealth participating in carbon allowance auctions as early as the last quarter of this year or the first quarter of 2021.

In addition to joining RGGI, the Clean Energy and Community Flood Preparedness Act also allows the commonwealth to earn money from the allowance auctions. The Department of Housing and Community Development will spend 50 percent of auction proceeds on “low-income efficiency programs, including programs for eligible housing developments.”

The Department of Conservation and Recreation will get 45 percent of the auction proceeds to fund flood preparedness and climate change planning and mitigation through the Virginia Community Flood Preparedness Fund. The last 5 percent of proceeds will cover administrative costs, including those for administering the auctions.

Energy efficiency savings become mandatory, not just decorations

Two years ago, the Grid Transformation and Security Act required Dominion and Appalachian Power to propose more than a billion dollars in energy efficiency spending over 10 years, but the law didn’t say the programs had to actually be effective in lowering electricity demand.

This year that changed. For the first time, Virginia will have an energy efficiency resource standard (EERS) requiring Dominion to achieve a total of 5 percent electricity savings by 2025 (using 2019 as the baseline); APCo must achieve a total of 2 percent savings. The SCC is charged with setting new targets after 2025. At least 15 percent of the costs must go to programs benefiting low-income, elderly or disabled individuals, or veterans.

The EERS comes on top of the low-income energy efficiency spending funded by RGGI auctions.

Dominion and Appalachian Power ramp up renewables and energy storage

The Clean Economy Act requires Dominion to build 16,100 megawatts of onshore wind and solar energy, and APCo to build 600 megawatts. The law also contains one of the strongest energy storage mandates in the country: 2,700 MW for Dominion, 400 MW for Appalachian Power.

Beginning in 2020, Dominion and Appalachian must submit annual plans to the SCC for new wind, solar and storage resources. We’ll have a first look at Dominion’s plans just a month from now: the SCC has told the company to take account of the Clean Economy Act and other new laws when it files its 2020 Integrated Resource Plan on May 1.

The legislation provides a strangely long lead time before the utilities must request approval of specific projects: by the end of 2023 for APCo (the first 200 MW) or 2024 for Dominion (the first 3,000 MW). But the build-out then becomes rapid, and the utilities must issue requests for proposals on at least an annual basis.

In addition to the solar and land-based wind, Dominion now has the green light for up to 3,000 MW of offshore wind from the project it is developing off Virginia Beach, and which it plans to bring online beginning in 2024. All told, the Clean Economy Act proclaims up to 5,200 MW of offshore wind by 2034 to be in the public interest.

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See also: Virginia lawmakers agreed to join a regional carbon market. Here’s what happens next. – Virginia Mercury, Sarah Vogelsong, April 14, 2020

“By joining RGGI, Virginia will take part in a proven, market-based program for reducing carbon pollution in a manner that protects consumers,” Northam said in a statement Sunday. “I am proposing important refinements and I look forward to signing it into law soon.”

Clearing these political hurdles, though, is only the beginning of the administration’s work. Virginia will become a full participant in RGGI starting Jan. 1. Here’s what will happen between now and then.

More and more solar projects are being planned

Article from the National Law Review, January 17, 2020

As many states see a push for renewable energy opportunities for their customers located in (or scouting new locations in) their borders, West Virginia legislators are poised to decide whether the state will facilitate such development. On January 8, 2020, two House bills were introduced that could open the door to more renewable choices.

House Bill (“HB”) 2911 [SB 611] proposes to allow electric customers to invest in and install renewable and alternative energy sources on their property and ultimately enter into power purchase agreements. Currently, such arrangements are unavailable to individuals and third parties because of the risk of being classified as a “public utility” under West Virginia law. HB 2911 or SB 611 would amend the existing West Virginia Public Utility Commission (“WVPUC”) statute in order to exempt renewable developments on premises of a retail customer that are leased to the customer or that are subject to a power purchase agreement from the definition of “public utility” (removing the WVPUC’s jurisdiction).

HB 3072 seeks to, by way of an entirely new article in the WVPUC statute, allow third parties to enter into power purchase agreements but focuses on solar photovoltaic (PV) installations. HB 3072 details the benefits of allowing power purchase agreements for solar development in West Virginia but defers the specifics of implementation to the WVPUC for rulemaking.

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Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) help make Solar possible for all

From Jim Kotcon, Conservation Chair, WV Chapter of Sierra Club, February 3, 2020

As the cost of renewable energy resources has plummeted in recent years, more West Virginia communities, families, businesses, and tax-exempt institutions – like schools, churches, nonprofit organizations, and local governments – want to take advantage of these affordable energy options. Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) are a widely available method to finance distributed energy generation projects. With a PPA, you can purchase solar electricity from a third party provider, instead of dealing with fossil fuel energy from the local utility.

BENEFITS FOR THE TAX-EXEMPT — How exactly do Power Purchase Agreements benefit tax-exempt schools, nonprofits, and municipalities? A PPA developer can take advantage of the federal energy investment tax credit and pass along those savings to tax-exempt customers in the form of lowered energy costs.

WHAT YOU CAN DO — Unfortunately, West Virginia law stops us from entering into PPAs. Bills to make PPAs available in the Mountain State are being considered in the 2020 West Virginia Legislature. The West Virginia Sierra Club urges you to support SB 611, permitting third-party ownership of renewable and alternative energy generating facilities.

Information modified from:
https://www.energyfreedomwv.org/

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Action Alert — WEST VIRGINIA ENVIRONMENTAL COUNCIL — Action Alert

Power Purchase Agreements on Agenda this Wednesday!

We have been working hard to strengthen solar development in West Virginia and are excited to announce that our Senate Bill legalizing on-site Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) is on the Senate Economic Development agenda this Wednesday afternoon!

SB 611 is a common and powerful way to finance energy projects, like solar arrays!

The bill was introduced and single referenced to the Senate Economic Development Committee. Once passed, it will go straight to the Senate floor. We need your help to convince the committee members to vote YES on the bill …….

See also: https://wvecouncil.org/power-purchase-agreements-on-agenda-this-wednesday/

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As Virginia’s schools look to solar, existing VA state law shuts down further development

From an Article by Sarah Vogelsong, Virginia Mercury, January 27, 2020

Since 2013, Virginia has run a pilot program allowing customers to use a financing mechanism known as the power purchase agreement, or PPA, with non-utility solar developers. Under a PPA, a developer installs solar panels on customers’ property and then sells the electricity back to them, usually for less than the utility would.

“PPAs are in a lot of ways a great equalizer,” said Rob Corradi, public affairs adviser for Sun Tribe Solar, one of Virginia’s most active developers in the PPA market and the company behind Middlesex’s solar. They “allow school systems and governments that don’t have access to a lot of capital to be able to access solar at a low cost.”

In Virginia, however, the pilot program came with a major string attached: a 50-megawatt cap on projects in the territory of Dominion Energy, the state’s largest electric utility. Once the State Corporation Commission (SCC) was notified the program had reached that scale, the process would grind to a halt. Unless they were already in the pipeline, no more projects could be developed.

On Jan. 7, a 65-kilowatt project at Chesapeake’s Church of St. Therese finally tripped the wire, bringing the total amount of power committed under the pilot to within 2 kilowatts of the cap — so close, said SCC spokesman Ken Schrad, that “no further notices of intent will be accepted by staff because no particular project would be that small.”

The reaching of the cap was in many ways not a surprise. Bills proposing that the cap be raised had been filed during the 2019 General Assembly. A November report to the governor and the legislature from the SCC had flagged the possibility that the cap would soon be reached and noted that officials “may wish to consider increasing the program limit.” Letters from solar developers warned that already market uncertainty was spreading.

“There’s this huge unmet contracted demand that won’t be built or can’t be built until the cap is raised,” Tony Smith, CEO of solar developer Secure Futures, told the Mercury. “That has ripple effects on the marketplace. Already we’re hearing from public school districts that have requests for proposals (RFP’s) or want to have projects that they’re holding off.”

NOTE: In California, Solar Star 1 and Solar Star 2 are already installed. The first one has a capacity of 314MW and the second one has 265MW. These are the largest in the USA. The Longview solar farm on the Mason Dixon Line (WV & PA) would be 70MW.

Conceptual layout of Longview II and III

LONGVIEW POWER II, LLC, and
LONGVIEW RENEWABLE POWER, LLC

Joint Application of Longview Power II, LLC and
Longview Renewable Power, LLC to Authorize the
Construction and Operation of Two Wholesale Electric
Generating Facilities and One High-Voltage
Electric Transmission Line in Monongalia County.

NOTICE OF FILING AND HEARING

On September 6,2019, Longview Power II, LLC and Longview Renewable Power, LLC (Applicants) filed a joint application pursuant to W. Va. Code $8 24-2-1 1c and 24-2-1 1a to authorize the construction and operation of two wholesale electric generating facilities and one high-voltage electric transmission line in Monongalia County, West Virginia, including all interconnection and ancillary facilities.

The Facilities proposed by the Applicants include a 1,200 MW natural gas-fired electric combined cycle gas turbine generating facility and associated high-voltage transmission line (CCGT Facility) and a 70 MW utility scale solar facility to be located in West Virginia and Pennsylvania (Solar Facility). Longview Power 11, LLC will construct and operate the CCGT Facility, and Longview Renewable Power, LLC will construct and own the Solar Facility. When combined with the existing 710 MW coal-fired facility (Coal Facility) owned by Longview Power, LLC, an affiliate of the Applicants, the CCGT and Solar Facilities will produce nearly 2,000 MW of generating capacity in north-central West Virginia and south-west Pennsylvania.

The CCGT Facility will deploy two gas turbines with a high efficiency, secondary cycle steam turbine system and will include a 500 kV transmission line extending approximately three-quarters of a mile north from the facility to the North Longview Switchyard in Pennsylvania. The Solar Facility will be a 70 MW (direct current) utility scale solar facility with 20 MW of panels in West Virginia and 50 MW of panels in Pennsylvania as presently configured. The solar array fields in West Virginia will have a 34.5 kV collection system that transmits power to the point of interconnection, where the voltage will be stepped up to 500 kV. The CCGT and Solar Facilities will be constructed adjacent to the site of the Coal Facility on reclaimed mine land owned by Longview Power, LLC and its affiliates.

The Applicants estimate that the total construction costs of the CCGT and Solar Facilities (excluding financing charges and fees in 2018 dollars) will be approximately $956 million.

The Applicants assert that they are not public utilities providing service to the public and that the construction and operation of the Facilities will not impact West Virginia ratepayers. Rates charged for electricity sold by the Facilities will be subject to regulation by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) pursuant to Section 205 of the Federal Power Act. The Applicants intend to file a market-based rate schedule with FERC that will allow sales from the Facilities to be at negotiated rates.

The Applicants will be responsible for the construction and operation of the Facilities and for the sale of electricity generated by them. The Applicants will operate the Facilities as exempt wholesale generators as defined under Section 32(a) of the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935.

The Applicants will enter into interconnection and operating agreements with PJM, a regional transmission organization, which will govern the interconnections of the CCGT and Solar Facilities with West Perm Power and PJM at the North Longview Switchyard in Pennsylvania. The Applicants, or the purchasers of the electricity generated by the Facilities, will enter into transmission service agreements with West Penn Power to govern the transmission of
the electricity across West Penn Power’s facilities. Such transmission of electricity will be subject to the terms of PJM’s Open Access Transmission Tariff on file with the FERC. The interconnections with West Penn Power will not compete with other utilities and will be for the sole purpose of transmitting electricity generated at the Facilities onto the grid for the wholesale market.

The Applicants assert that because they are not public utilities under West Virginia law, considerations relevant to the issuance of a certificate of convenience and necessity under W. Va. Code 5924-2-1 1 and 24-2-1 1a such as the need for the Facilities and the information required by Tariff Rule 42, should not be addressed by the Commission.

Therefore, the Applicants request a waiver of the Public Service Commission’s filing requirements to provide certain information including the utility service rendered, proposed rates, project construction costs, project financing and estimates of operating revenues and expenses, and the information required by
Tariff Rule 42 (e.g., statements of net income, operating revenues, depreciation, West Virginia jurisdictional rate base, plant in service and capital structure).

And, because the Applicants will not be regulated by the Commission as public utilities following completion of the Facilities, they request a waiver of the Commission’s filing and reporting requirements, metering requirements, customer relations, inspections and tests, standards and quality of service, promotional practices, consumer reimbursement program, uniform accounting requirements, and the requirement to allow Commission inspection of books, papers, reports and statements that are specific to regulated public utilities whose practices affect captive ratepayers.

Further information concerning the Application is available in the case file at the Commission offices at 201 Brooks Street, Charleston, West Virginia, or on the Commission’s website, www.psc.state.wv.us, under Case No. 19-0890-E-CS-CN.

The Commission set a procedural schedule, including a hearing on the Application. The hearing will begin at 9:30 a.m. on January 30, 2020 and will continue into January 31, 2020, if necessary, in the Howard M. Cunningham Hearing Room at the Commission’s offices at 201 Brooks Street, Charleston, West Virginia.

Anyone desiring to file public comments in support or in opposition to the Application may do so by mailing to the address below. The Commission will receive written public comments until the beginning of the hearing.

Anyone desiring to petition to intervene in this case must file a written request to intervene within thirty (30) days of the date of publication of this notice, unless otherwise modified by Commission order. Anyone requesting a hearing in this case must also file such
request in writing within the same 30-day period and state why a hearing is necessary. Failure to timely protest or intervene can affect your right to protest or participate in future proceedings in this case. If no substantial protests or requests for hearing are received within said 30-day period, the Commission may waive formal hearing and grant the Application based on the evidence submitted with said Application and its review thereof. All protests or requests to intervene shall briefly state the reason(s) for the protest or intervention. Requests to intervene must comply with the Commission’s rules on intervention set forth in the Commission’s Rules of Practice and Procedure. The Commission’s rules are available via a link on the Commission’s Home Page to the website of the West Virginia Secretary of State.

All written comments and protests, requests to intervene, and requests for hearing must state the case name and number and be addressed to Connie Graley, Executive Secretary, Post Office Box 812, Charleston, West Virginia 25323.

Public comments may also be filed online by clicking the “Formal Case” link at:
http://www.psc.state.wv.us/scripts/onlinecomments/default.cfm

LONGVIEW POWER 11, LLC, and
LONGVIEW RENEWABLE POWER, LLC

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Recommendation of Mon Valley Clean Air Coalition (MVCAC):

File a Letter of Protest with the WV Public Service Commission

Ask that the Certificate of Site Approval be denied unless Longview installs carbon capture to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases. Be sure to include the reference to Case # 19-0890.

Mail letters to: Connie Graley, Executive Secretary, West Virginia Public Service Commission, 201 Brooks Street, Charleston, WV 25301.

Or file comments on-line Protesting Case Number 19-0890 at: http://www.psc.state.wv.us/scripts/onlinecomments/default.cfm

Attend the Public Hearing. The PSC will hold a public hearing on Monday, Jan. 6, 2020 at 5:30 PM at the Monongalia County Courthouse, 243 High Street, Morgantown. You can present your comments in person at that time.

CNX plan for drilling/fracking at Pittsburgh’s Airport

From an Article by Jamison Cocklin, Natural Gas Intelligence, October 21, 2019

Pittsburgh International Airport (PIA) has awarded a 20-year contract to utility Peoples Natural Gas to build and operate a microgrid to power its entire campus.

The microgrid would be powered by Marcellus Shale wells on airport property that are operated by CNX Resources Corp., natural gas from the interstate pipeline system and solar panels that would be installed. It would be the first microgrid to power a major airport in the United States with resources available on site, according to PIA, which serves more than nine million passengers annually.

The microgrid would become the airport’s primary power supply and replace electricity purchased from the wholesale grid. A connection would still be maintained to back up the facility. The microgrid would consist of five natural gas-fired generators and 7,800 solar panels capable of producing more than 20 MW, or enough to power 13,000 residential homes. PIA’s current peak demand is 14 MW.

The system is expected to enter service in the summer of 2021 and power a hotel, the airport and a gasoline service station.

In 2013, the Allegheny County Airport Authority leased 9,200 acres at PIA to CNX, where the company planned to develop six pads and 45 Marcellus wells. Production started in 2016. CNX spokesman Brian Aiello said the plans for the property remain the same. He added that there are 14 producing wells at the airport in addition to another six drilled but uncompleted wells.

PIA officials, who have been considering the microgrid since last year, said it would come at no cost to the airport. Peoples is making the $30 million investment to build the facility. The utility, which serves 740,000 homes and businesses in Kentucky, western Pennsylvania and West Virginia, has continued to explore various technologies for the natural gas it distributes. PIA officials said the microgrid would not only save money, but increase reliability and sustainability.

Distributed power developer IMG Energy Solutions, along with EIS Solar, which is to install the panels, and construction firm PJ Dick and LLI Engineering are also involved in the project.

We all live downstream of energy & environmental issues

By Evan Hansen, Opinion – Editorial, Charleston Gazette – Mail, October 19, 2019

In his October 2nd op-ed, United Mineworkers of America President Cecil Roberts makes an excellent point. We should work together to develop a more sustainable, robust economy in Appalachia that provides opportunity for every working family, including coal miners. I couldn’t agree more.

We needed to start this conversation at least a decade ago. This became evident when I co-authored a report in 2010 that concluded:

……. “Coal production in Central Appalachia is on the decline, and this decline will likely continue in the coming decades. Given the numerous challenges working against any substantial recovery of the region’s coal industry, and that production is projected to decline significantly in the coming decades, diversification of Central Appalachian economies is now more critical than ever. State and local leaders should support new economic development across the region, especially in the rural areas set to be the most impacted by a sharp decline in the region’s coal economy.” ….

I’m not a psychic, and I don’t tell fortunes. But I do review data. Even in 2010, it was clear that coal production was plummeting in West Virginia as natural gas drilling picked up steam, renewables dropped in price and the rich coal reserves in the southern coalfields dwindled.

While this decline in coal production was predictable, I couldn’t imagine back then that I would get elected to the House of Delegates, where I now have a window into the policies that state leaders implement — or fail to implement — as this crisis gets worse.

And it truly is a crisis. Thousands of miners have lost their jobs. As coal companies declare bankruptcy, miners, retirees and their families face the prospects of losing pensions and health care benefits that they earned through years of hard work. Communities are breaking down, school systems are in trouble and the state budget is more difficult to balance. Drug addiction is rampant, life expectancy is down and thousands of children are in need of loving foster homes.

Many state leaders knew that this downward spiral was coming to West Virginia, but refused to publicly acknowledge it, let alone enact policies that, in Cecil’s words, would develop a more sustainable, robust economy. The result? A cruel transition toward poverty, hopelessness, and addiction.

Recently on the House floor, I spoke about the need for a just transition. A just transition starts with acknowledging reality — that Wests Virginia coal production has dropped from 162 to just 95 million tons since 2001. And that it is likely to drop further if more coal-fired power plants close. There will be fewer good, high-paying union coal mining jobs.

But a just transition also acknowledges that it’s unfair for coal miners — who have sacrificed so much over generations for this state and country — to be left behind as the country’s energy production shifts. In a just transition, we appreciate this history while fighting for new opportunities for miners and their families.

>>> Evan Hansen is a Democratic member of the West Virginia House of Delegates from Monongalia County and president of Downstream Strategies, an environmental and economic development consulting company.

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Renewable energy will power almost half of the Virginia government by 2022

From an Article by Sarah Vogelsong, Virginia Mercury, October 18, 2019

Virginia’s state government will get 45 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2022, officials announced Friday morning, exceeding a target established by Gov. Ralph Northam in a recent executive order committing the state to making its electric grid carbon free by 2050.

Both Dominion Energy, Virginia’s largest electric utility, and the VA governor’s office hailed the agreement as the largest contract by a state government for renewable energy.

“Clean and renewable energy is a critical key to fighting climate change and is one of the most effective tools we have to address and mitigate these impacts,” said Secretary of Natural Resources Matthew J. Strickler. “Today’s announcement, along with several other clean energy related initiatives currently underway, clearly demonstrate that Virginia is serious about investing in clean energy, reducing carbon emissions, and cleaning up air pollution to improve our environment.”

Proposed Longview Power electric energy complex on Mason Dixon Line

From an Article Ben Conley, Morgantown Dominion Post, February 23, 2019

MORGANTOWN — Already operating one of the world’s most advanced and efficient coal-fired power plants, Longview Power is ready to invest an estimated $1.2 billion to build natural gas and solar power generation facilities.

Longview Power President and CEO Jeffery Keffer said the company plans to bring the new facilities online in 2020, making Longview an “all of the above” energy center.

The bulk of the investment, about $900 million, will go toward the creation of a natural gas combined cycle plant to be located near Longview’s Fort Martin Road coal facility.

While the gas plant will be significantly smaller, it will generate 1,200 megawatts, far outpacing the 710 megawatts generated by its coal-fired predecessor.

“This will be smaller, but more efficient in a lot of ways because of the type of equipment that’s used,” Keffer said of the gas-powered turbines at the heart of the plant. “We’ll be using the latest types of these so that we’ll have high efficiency. Again, the same idea that went into Longview — the latest equipment, most advanced technology and a fuel that’s abundant and easily available.”

The natural gas facility will be fed using a 6.2-mile, 20-inch gas pipeline that will run into Pennsylvania to connect with Trans Canada’s Columbia 1804 interstate transmission line.

Keffer said all necessary rights of way have been secured, and environmental studies and permitting procedures with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission are well under way. Longview is working with Thrasher Engineering on the $30 million pipeline, the majority of which will run underground.

Once the natural gas plant is completed, the staging areas used in its construction will be part of a series of solar arrays covering 350 acres near the plant and in Pennsylvania. When the sun is shining, the solar arrays will generate about 50 megawatts, offsetting a significant portion of the power used to operate the coal plant.

“The solar takes about 350 acres and produces 50 megawatts, and that’s if the sun is shining. The gas plant takes 26 acres and produces 1,200 megawatts. That gives you a sense, you know, when people say we’re going to all renewables, I’m not sure where that’s all going to take place,” Keffer said, noting the solar arrays have an estimated cost of $70 million.

He went on to say that the two-plus-year buildout will likely generate about 6,000 construction jobs. The natural gas plant will likely generate between 30 and 40 permanent jobs.

“Using the infrastructure we already have here reduces our upfront cost. Where we can also economize is just in the number of jobs,” Keffer said. “Typically a plant like this would create maybe 50 jobs, permanently. We would be able to utilize our resources already here in terms of maintenance people, our accounting people and that sort of thing.”

As incentive to build the $2.2 billion coal plant locally, Longview entered into a payment in lieu of taxes agreement with the Monongalia County Commission in 2008.

Commission President Tom Bloom said a separate agreement will be worked out regarding the upcoming improvements.

“We’re excited about the investment locally,” Bloom said. “Yes, we will need to set up another agreement. What that is, we don’t know at this time. It’s too premature to say exactly what that would look like.”

Working Families supports alternative energy jobs

This Article from CBC News, The Canadian Press, December 22, 2017

The winds of change are pushing Mark Kokas in a new career direction. Nearly two years after being laid off as an electrician in Alberta’s flailing oil and gas sector, the 42-year-old is training to become a wind turbine technician.

“It is tough to find work right now. It’s not like it was before,” said Kokas in a class at Lethbridge College, one of two institutions in Western Canada that offers training and the only one with a one-year certificate program.

“Oil and gas used to be our bread and butter, but it isn’t anymore. There’s going to be a really hard push now to get people trained where the industry wants them to be,” he said. “It’s been an eye-opener going into a different industry. There’s more than oil and gas. It’s pretty cool.”

Inside the training tower used by the Lethbridge College Wind Turbine Technician program. The program warns potential students, “Those afraid of heights need not apply.” The one-year course to become a wind turbine technician comes with a warning label on the college website: “Those afraid of heights need not apply.”

“Most don’t have a warning label. We do. Our students end up working in an office 300 feet in the air, so obviously safety is a big priority,” said instructor Chris DeLisle. “We need to make sure you’re not scared of heights.”

DeLisle said that with the downturn in the oil and gas sector, alternative energy sources such as wind are a natural fit for many who are laid off. About four out of the 16 people in his class have worked in the oil sector in some capacity, he said. “With Alberta looking to kind of lead the rest of the country now into renewable energy, wind is … at the forefront, so it’s going to be around for a while.”

Instructor Chris DeLisle works with student Mark Kokas on a simulator during a class. Kokas was laid off nearly two years ago from his job as an electrician in Alberta’s oil and gas sector. Wind power is eliciting optimism at a time when Canada is trying to reduce its carbon footprint.

With their giant 80-metre-high turbines stretching as far as the eye can see and 45-metre-long blades turning gracefully in the breeze, wind farms in areas including southern Alberta are becoming more common.

The Canadian Wind Energy Association estimates that if Alberta were to use wind energy to fulfil a commitment to add 5,000 megawatts of renewable energy by 2030, it would generate $8.3 billion in investment along with employment.

“I only wish I was laid off earlier, so I could have started earlier and I could already be working,” said Kokas. “There shouldn’t be an issue of getting a job at the end of this class.”

DeLisle said the course includes a lot of electrical training, as well as how to repair fibreglass windmill blades and learning the inner workings of the turbine itself.

Student Ryan Hanna, pictured with class dummy Rescue Randy, checks his safety equipment during a class at the Lethbridge College Wind Turbine Technician program. It also involves plenty of safety work using a life-sized dummy that DeLisle calls Rescue Randy. “Yeah, that’s one of our former students that didn’t make it through the program,” he said with a laugh. “We use him for all the different rescue scenarios. If somebody was to get hurt inside the hub, they need to bring them out and bring them to the ground. It’s a mock-up for rescues.”

Oscar Diaz-Kennedy has spent the last few years landscaping and working on construction projects. At 24, he said he can see which way the wind is blowing. “I’ve just seen how the world is going and how Alberta is changing from oilfields going to renewable energy,” Diaz-Kennedy said. “I decided I wanted to be ahead of the loop a little bit.”

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WV — JOBS, JOBS, JOBS — Panel Presentation on Renewable Energy & Jobs

Working Families — West Virginia — Thursday, January 3rd, 6:00 PM
Location: Plumbers & Pipefitters Local 152, 100 Richard Avenue, Morgantown

Panel Members — Evan Hansen, Delegate – Elect, WV Legislature
>> Doyle Tenney, DT Solar LLC, French Creek, WV
>> Shane Ferguson, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers