Legal 3 col x 10-3/4”
0418
PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION
OF WEST VIRGINIA
CHARLESTON
CASE NO. 24-0311-E- SCS-PW
DEEP LAKE ENERGY CENTER, LLC
Application for a Solar Siting Certificate to authorize the
construction and operation of an exempt wholesale electric
generating facility in Nicholas County and petition for waiver of
transmission facilities information.
NOTICE OF FILING
On March 22, 2024, Deep Lake Energy Center, LLC (Applicant), filed an application for a Solar Siting
Certificate pursuant to W. Va. Code §24-2-1o(n) to authorize the construction and operation of an exempt wholesale electric generating facility in Nicholas and Clay Counties and for waiver of transmission facilities information. The application is on file with and available for public inspection at the Public Service Commission, 201 Brooks Street, in Charleston, West Virginia. Upon its completion, the Facility will be used by the Applicant to generate solar electricity exclusively for wholesale in the competitive wholesale market in West Virginia and other locations.
The Applicant is owned by Savion, LLC. The Applicant proposes to construct a 150 MW solar electric generating facility and certain ancillary facilities, including an interconnecting 138 kV transmission line approximately 5.9 miles in length to interconnect the Facility with an existing FirstEnergy kV transmission line in Nicholas County. The Facility is adjacent to a solar energy project under development by Nicolas County Solar Project, LLC, an affiliate of Applicant, that the Commission approved on November 4, 2022 in Case No. 22-0678-E-SCS-PW. The Applicant states that although a small portion of Clay County is included in the project boundary shown on the map above, as currently designed there will be no facilities constructed in Clay County and at this time no construction activity is anticipated to be undertaken in Clay County.
The Applicant estimates that construction of the Facility will cost in excess of $386 million.
The Applicant asserts that the Facility, including any associated transmission line(s) incidental to the Facility and operating below 200,000 volts, are not West Virginia jurisdictional utility services provided to the public, and there will be no impact to West Virginia ratepayers. Rates charged for electricity sold by the Facility will be subject to regulation by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).
The Facility will be an exempt wholesale generator as defined under Section 32(a) of the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935 or other superseding federal law.
The Applicant will enter into an interconnection and operating agreement with PJM Interconnection, L.L.C., a regional transmission organization, which will govern the Facility’s interconnection at the point shown on the map above. The Applicant, or the purchasers of the electricity generated by the Facility, will enter into transmission service agreements with the transmission owner to govern the transmission of the electricity across the transmission owner’s facilities. Such transmission of electricity will be subject to the terms of the transmission owner’s Open Access Transmission Tariff on file with the FERC.
Anyone desiring to intervene should file a written petition to intervene within 30 days following the date of this publication unless a later date is authorized by the Commission. Failure to timely intervene can affect your right to protest aspects of this Solar EWG siting certificate case for the Facility, or to participate in future proceedings. Letters of protest and comment may be filed at any time during processing of the application. All protests or requests to intervene should briefly state the reason for the protest or intervention. Requests to intervene must comply with the Commission’s rules on intervention set forth in the Commission’s Rules of Practice and Procedure. All protests and interventions should be addressed to Karen Buckley, Executive Secretary, P.O. Box 812, Charleston, West Virginia 25323. Public comments may also be filed online by clicking the “Formal Case” link at http://www.psc.state. wv.us/scripts/onlinecomments/default.cfin.
In the absence of substantial protests within the thirty (30) day period, the Commission may waive formal hearing and grant the application based on the evidence submitted with said application and its review thereof.
DEEP LAKE ENERGY CENTER, LLC