Savion moves forward with solar project on closed coal mine in Kentucky

PV Tech:

Solar developer Savion and automobile giant Toyota have inked a 100MW solar PV virtual power purchase agreement (VPPA) for a brownfield project in Kentucky, US.

Construction of the project is expected to start in mid-2023 with commercial operation to be reached in 2024.

The project will convert a former coal mine in Martin County, on the border between the states of Kentucky and West Virginia, into a solar PV plant that is developed by Savion along with local solar developer Edelen Renewables which specialises in brownfield solar projects.

As the US decarbonises its energy plants and closes the remaining coal plants, former coal sites will offer an opportunity for developers to build solar projects in brownfield sites, for which the US Treasury Department recently released a guidance on the bonuses included in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) for coal community projects.

The Kentucky-based developer has also recently been involved in a 500MW US community solar portfolio that will be financed by Power generation equipment supplier Aggreko.

[Jonathan Touriño Jacobo]

More: Savion, Toyota sign 100MW solar VPPA on former coal mine in Kentucky