Appalachian Power Co. is in the market for three wind, solar and battery energy systems as it takes another step toward establishing an all-renewable power portfolio.
The company’s request for proposals from energy companies is the latest in a series of planned acquisitions to comply with the Clean Economy Act, a state law that requires Appalachian to deliver totally carbon-free power to its Virginia customers by 2050.
“The advertised RFPs play an important role in helping us meet our clean energy commitments,” Aaron Walker, the company’s president and CEO, said in a news release Monday. “These projects will also support local communities by generating jobs and tax base.”
Appalachian is planning to acquire one or more wind and/or solar facilities that would produce up to 800 megawatts of electricity, to be co-located with a large battery system that would store power that is generated intermittently from the sun and wind.
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A second proposal invites bids for up to 300 megawatts of wind and/or solar power that the utility would purchase from the independently owned and operated resources.
The third request is for renewable energy certificates, market-based instruments issued when one megawatt of clean energy is generated and delivered to the grid by a renewable energy source.
Appalachian serves about 540,000 customers in Western Virginia.
The utility, which has another 500,000-some customers in West Virginia and Tennessee, has for years relied primarily on burning coal and natural gas to produce its power.
Its transition to renewable energy accelerated in 2020, when the Virginia General Assembly passed the Clean Economy Act, which supporters say will help slow climate change.
Currently, Appalachian draws electricity from five wind farms in West Virginia, Illinois and Indiana and four utility-scale solar facilities.
Another 10 solar projects have been approved by the State Corporation Commission and are under contract, but have not yet become operational, according to Appalachian spokeswoman Teresa Hall.
An additional three projects that the utility will own – two wind farms and a battery storage facility – have been approved but are not yet in service.