Dominion Energy announces four new solar projects planned in South Carolina

Construction of a 6-megawatt (AC) Dominion Energy-owned solar facility in Bamberg County has begun. When it enters service in the fourth quarter of this year, the facility will provide enough clean, renewable energy to power an equivalent of 1,000 homes.

The Denmark Solar facility is one of three arrays an affiliate of Dominion Energy has acquired from Charleston-based Southern Current that have long-term power purchase agreements (PPA) with Dominion Energy South Carolina, an electric and gas utility that serves a combined 1.1 million customer accounts. The three facilities – Denmark, Blackville Solar (Barnwell County) and Yemassee (Hampton County) – have a generating capacity of 23.2 megawatts (AC) and are expected to enter service this year. The company also plans to purchase the Trask East Solar facility from Southern Current in September. The 12-megawatt (AC) array is located in Beaufort County and also has a PPA with Dominion Energy South Carolina. Three other Dominion Energy-owned solar facilities in Beaufort and Jasper counties provide more than 150 megawatts (AC) to Dominion Energy South Carolina customers.

The company’s South Carolina utility has over 971 megawatts of solar capacity on its system. The South Carolina solar portfolio consists of 849 megawatts of utility-scale solar,106 megawatts of customer-sited solar and 16 megawatts of community solar projects.

“We have fully embraced adding solar generation on our system and making it accessible for all customers as we work to help build a clean, sustainable energy future of South Carolina,” said Danny Kassis, vice president of customer relations and renewables for Dominion Energy South Carolina. “Dominion Energy South Carolina has worked very hard at integrating these new assets and the existing 971 megawatts of solar into our system. We look forward to continuing our work to collaboratively and cost-effectively create a lower-carbon future for our customers and our state.”

Dominion Energy’s solar portfolio was recently ranked third by S&P Global Market Intelligence among utility holding companies in the U.S. With a goal of achieving net zero emissions by 2050, Dominion Energy is committed to removing the same amount of carbon and methane emissions from the atmosphere as the company puts into it. This means shifting away from fuel sources such as coal and investing heavily in low- and no-carbon energy such as natural gas, nuclear, and solar.

Among the 13 largest utilities in the Southeast, Dominion Energy South Carolina ranks second – with 807 solar watts per customer, which is 2.5 times the average for the region. Both the current and projected numbers are about 50% higher than the overall average for South Carolina. The Southern Alliance for Clean Energy (SACE) has recognized Dominion Energy South Carolina as a top-performing utility for installed solar for the past three years.

Photo 1: Evert Comer Jr., Bamberg County councilman; Joey Preston, Bamberg County administrator; Steffanie Dohn, Southern Current director of government relations; Joe Guess Jr., Bamberg County councilman; Blakely Williams, manager, economic development and local government for Dominion Energy South Carolina; Larry Haynes, Bamberg County councilman; Johnny Williamson, SouthernCarolina Alliance board of directors; Craig Walker, director of SC Veterans Affairs; and Isaiah Odom, Bamberg County councilman, gather for photo in front of a Dominion Energy-owned solar project in Denmark, South Carolina.

Photo 2: Construction of a 6-megawatt Dominion Energy-owned solar facility in Bamberg County. The facility is expected to enter service in the fourth quarter of the year.

About Dominion Energy

More than 7 million customers in 20 states energize their homes and businesses with electricity or natural gas from Dominion Energy (NYSE: D), headquartered in Richmond, Va. The company is committed to sustainable, reliable, affordable and safe energy and to achieving net zero carbon dioxide and methane emissions from its power generation and gas infrastructure operations by 2050. Please visit DominionEnergy.com to learn more.