Mon Power and Potomac Edison's Rivesville site stimulating economy in
Marion County and
beyond
FAIRMONT, W.Va., March 19,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE: FE)
subsidiaries Mon Power and Potomac Edison have begun construction
on their second utility-grade solar site in West Virginia to help meet the state's energy
needs and further encourage economic growth.
Click here to view and/or
download drone footage of the Rivesville site construction.
The Rivesville solar site in
Marion County will be situated
along Morgan Ridge Road on approximately 27 acres. Once installed,
the solar panels there will produce up to 5.5 megawatts
(MW) of renewable power. One MW of solar energy powers a
national average of 173 homes, according to the Solar Energy
Industries Association. The property, owned by the companies, is a
brownfield site that has gone unused since the Rivesville Power
Station was deactivated in 2012.
Jim Myers, President of
FirstEnergy's West Virginia Operations: "We are proud to
be transforming a former coal ash disposal site into a source of
clean renewable energy for our customers. We believe the energy
generated by our West Virginia
solar sites will continue to encourage economic development in the
state because a growing number of companies require a portion of
the electricity they purchase to be generated by renewable
sources."
The Rivesville solar site is
the second of the companies' five planned solar sites in
West Virginia. The companies'
first solar site, which sits on 80 acres at the Fort Martin Power
Station, was connected to the distribution grid in
January 2024 and can produce up to
18.9 MW of solar energy per hour.
The Rivesville solar site is
being constructed by local union workers, just like the Fort Martin
site. In recent weeks, crews have prepared the Rivesville site by removing trees,
constructing roads and installing fences ahead of upcoming
electrical and mechanical work. The solar panels, racking systems
and supporting electrical equipment for the site are made in
the United States.
Ultimately, the companies' five sites are expected to
collectively generate 50 megawatts of renewable energy.
Construction of the Rivesville
site and a third site in Berkeley
County (5.7 MW), is expected to be completed by the end
of 2024. The companies also plan to seek final approval from the
Public Service Commission of West
Virginia to build the additional two solar sites in
Davis, Tucker County (11.5 MW), and Weirton, Hancock
County (8.4 MW), once customers subscribe to the energy they
will produce.
To subscribe or find out more about the solar program, Mon Power
and Potomac Edison customers in West
Virginia can submit their information through the website
at firstenergycorp.com/WVSolar or by calling
1-800-505-7283.
Mon Power serves about 395,000 customers in 34 West Virginia counties. Follow Mon Power
at mon-power.com, on X, formerly known as
Twitter @MonPowerWV, and on Facebook
at facebook.com/MonPowerWV.
Potomac Edison serves about 285,000 customers in seven counties
in Maryland and 155,000 customers
in the Eastern Panhandle of West
Virginia. Follow Potomac Edison at potomacedison.com,
on X @PotomacEdison, and on Facebook
at facebook.com/PotomacEdison.
FirstEnergy is dedicated to integrity, safety, reliability and
operational excellence. Its electric distribution companies form
one of the nation's largest investor-owned electric systems,
serving more than six million customers in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New
Jersey, West Virginia,
Maryland and New York. The company's transmission
subsidiaries operate approximately 24,000 miles of transmission
lines that connect the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions. Follow
FirstEnergy online at firstenergycorp.com and on
X @FirstEnergyCorp.
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SOURCE FirstEnergy Corp.