HAMPTON ROADS, Va. – Governor Ralph Northam announced Friday that the state will partner with Dominion Energy to buy renewable energy to power state government buildings.
The agreement with the Commonwealth’s utility, Dominion Energy, includes 75 megawatts of wind energy and 345 megawatts of solar energy — the equivalent of powering more than 100,000 homes. It’s the largest contract that any state has negotiated on renewable energy.
By 2022, 30 percent of the electricity used by state agencies and institutions in Virginia will come from renewable sources.
The new wind and solar projects will be located around the state, with Rocky Forge Wind (Botetourt County), Belcher Solar (Louisa County), Bedford Solar (Chesapeake), Walnut Solar (King and Queen County) and a fourth unnamed solar project providing energy for the Commonwealth, according to Dominion Energy.
The agreement comes as Dominion Energy and the Northam administration work towards advancing clean energy in the state. Last month, Northam announced that the Commonwealth will dedicate $20 million to help Virginia public school districts replace older diesel school buses with electric buses.
