Mon Power and Potomac Edison, subsidiaries of FirstEnergy Corp., have initiated construction on their third utility-scale solar site in West Virginia. The Marlowe solar project is situated along Interstate 81 and the Potomac River on a 36-acre property in Berkeley County, previously an ash disposal site for the former R. Paul Smith Power Station. In 2022, FirstEnergy completed the closure of the landfill after removing over three million tons of ash.
Dan Rossero, Vice President of FirstEnergy’s West Virginia Generation, stated: “The redevelopment of this site into a clean, renewable energy source is aligned with our commitment to support economic growth in West Virginia as well as our efforts to build a more sustainable future for the communities we serve.”
The Marlowe solar facility is expected to be completed in 2025 and will produce up to 5.75 megawatts of renewable power. According to the Solar Energy Industries Association, one megawatt of solar energy powers an average of 173 homes nationally. Local union workers are being used for construction, and the materials are made in the United States.
This project is part of the companies’ West Virginia solar program, supporting a 2020 bill passed by the West Virginia Legislature that allows electric utilities to own and operate up to 200 megawatts of solar renewable generation facilities. This initiative aims to meet state electricity needs and promote economic development.
Mon Power and Potomac Edison are developing five solar projects totaling 50 megawatts of renewable solar generation. The first phase includes an already completed project at Fort Martin Power Station in Maidsville (18.9 megawatts) and another under construction in Rivesville (5.5 megawatts).
Together, these projects will create over 87,000 solar renewable energy credits (SRECs), available for purchase by customers who support renewable energy in West Virginia. SRECs represent environmental attributes of solar power and prove that solar energy was generated on behalf of purchasers.
Since starting their solar program, Mon Power and Potomac Edison have enrolled residential customers as well as large commercial and institutional customers like the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) in Morgantown and Harpers Ferry town. The cost to purchase SRECs through this program is four cents per kilowatt hour in addition to normal rates.
The companies plan to seek final approval from the Public Service Commission of West Virginia for additional sites when they secure customer commitments for 85% of the renewable energy credits generated by those projects.
Mon Power serves about 395,000 customers across 34 counties in West Virginia while Potomac Edison serves approximately 285,000 customers in seven Maryland counties and another 155,000 customers in West Virginia’s Eastern Panhandle.
FirstEnergy operates one of the largest investor-owned electric systems nationwide, serving over six million customers across several states including Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West Virginia, Maryland, and New York.
For more information about Mon Power’s or Potomac Edison’s services or their ongoing projects:
– Visit firstenergycorp.com/WVsolar
– Call: 1-800-505-7283
News Media Contact: Will Boye at (301) 790-6420
Investor Contact: Gina Caskey at (330) 761-4185
