Dominion Energy Virginia has issued a request for proposals for up to 1,000 megawatts (MW) of solar and onshore wind generation and up to 250 MW of energy storage in the US state.
The company said this was its largest ever annual solicitation for renewable energy bids.
The call came as the Virginia utility quadrupled the amount of solar and wind generation in its 15-year, long-term integrated resource plan (IRP), following state governor Ralph Northam’s executive order on climate change and the Virginia Clean Economy Act passed by the state’s General Assembly.
The changes see a more than 300% increase in projected solar and wind generation development as compared to last year’s integrated resource plan update filing, while energy storage is set to grow by more than 700%.
Dominion Energy is forecasting 5.1GW offshore wind as well as 15.9GW solar and 2.7GW energy storage by 2035.
The projected expansion of offshore wind, solar, and energy storage development amounts to approximately 24GW of new renewable energy and storage capacity over the next 15 years.
“We’re focused on the health and safety of our employees and customers during this coronavirus pandemic and see these projects as a catalyst to restarting the economy when appropriate,” said Dominion Energy Virginia president Robert M. Blue.
“We are putting Virginians to work on renewable energy projects that will create thousands of jobs, transforming the environment and the economy of the Commonwealth.”
The updated plans reflect targets recently mandated in the Virginia Clean Economy Act. The company said the plans would create thousands of clean energy jobs.
The IRP for more than 5GW of offshore wind also included the 2.6GW Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project already announced by Dominion Energy.
This offshore wind deployment – the largest in North America, Dominion Energy said – has a targeted in-service date of late 2026.
The energy storage targets include battery storage pilots already approved and scheduled to be online in Virginia next year.
The company added that it was making essential upgrades to the transmission infrastructure in Virginia and is embarking on strategic investments on the distribution system through its Grid Transformation Plan.
Dominion Energy recently announced a new companywide goal of achieving net zero emissions, covering both carbon dioxide and methane in its power generation and natural gas operations across 20 states by 2050.