Dominion Energy to invest over $1 billion in hydroelectric storage pump station

• 7 years ago (2017-06-26)
• David Flin

Hydropower 131 North America 1021

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Dominion Energy has announced that it is planning to invest around $1.8 billion in the construction of a pumped hydroelectric storage station in southwest Virginia, USA. Dominion Energy is currently looking at a number of sites in the coalfield region for the project, creating “hundreds” of jobs for the construction phase, and approximately 50 permanent positions.

Greg Edwards, External Affairs Representative for Dominion Energy, said: “We are evaluating various sites. We are going to narrow that down to a few sites.”

Legislation passed during the recently concluded session of the Virginia General Assembly authorised electric utilities such as Dominion Energy to apply to the Virginia State Corporation Commission for permission to construct pump hydroelectric storage facilities in the coalfield region of southwest Virginia.

Edwards said: “We are expecting in a few months to have the site selection process narrowed down to just a handful of sites. When we get to that point, we will notify any affected landowners or adjacent landowners. We will plan a series of meetings, probably four of them, around the coalfields where people will be able to ask questions.” He said that the company is in the initial stages of the project, which could take seven years to complete.