US utility Appalachian Power is seeking approval for almost 500MW of clean power over the next three years as part of its long-range plan to meet the renewable energy targets established by the Virginia Clean Economy Act (VCEA).
Appalachian Power, which is part of American Electric Power, is looking to acquire or contract 294MW of solar and 204MW of wind power, according to its annual plan filed with the Virginia State Corporation Commission (SCC) last week.
The plan is the company’s second update since the VCEA became law.
Appalachian Power intends to meet its VCEA targets primarily through investments in solar, wind, energy storage, and purchase of market renewable energy certificates.
A 204MW wind farm has been identified in Illinois that is expected to be operational in December 2024, and will represent Appalachian Power’s largest wind resource project to date.
In the filing, the company seeks permission to recover the costs associated with the purchase of the facility.
The company also seeks approval to recover the costs associated with purchase of two solar energy projects – a 50MW facility in Berkeley County in West Virginia and a 4.9MW plant in Amherst County in Virginia.
Its short-term plans also include the purchase of a 150MW solar farm in Pittsylvania County, Virginia.
The company is seeking permission from the SCC to move forward with its intention to acquire the project, as well as regulatory approval to enter into agreements to purchase the output of three Virginia solar facilities via power purchase agreements.
The three solar facilities will add approximately 89MW of power to the company’s energy supply.
By 2040, the company expects to add approximately 3.3GW of solar, 2.6GW of energy storage, and nearly 3.0GW of onshore wind to its current portfolio of wind and hydro resources.
Appalachian Power president and chief operating officer Chris Beam said: “This is our company’s most extensive filing yet.
“The update filed with state regulators reflects the in-depth analysis necessary to ensure sufficient resources are in place to provide affordable and reliable power for our customers while continuing to build our renewables portfolio and meet our VCEA requirements.”
In addition to the nearly 500MW, the plan includes 55MW of separate solar projects that are or will be in service in the coming months.
In this filing, the company is seeking to include in rates the costs associated with the projects and the Amherst facility, as well as market REC purchases necessary for annual compliance.
The company is also considering adding energy storage to improve reliability for customers that receive power from the company’s Glade Station – White Top circuit in southwest Virginia.
The energy storage project would improve reliability by providing a back-up source of power when an outage occurs. Although included in the filing, the project is still in the planning stages, the company said.
Appalachian Power has 1 million customers in Virginia, West Virginia and Tennessee, as AEP Appalachian Power.