FirstEnergy closes ash landfill in West Virginia to develop solar park

A subsidiary of US electric system operator FirstEnergy Corp (NYSE:FE) has closed an ash landfill in West Virginia that will be repurposed to accommodate a 6-MW solar power plant, the company announced on Monday.

The unit, called Allegheny Energy Supply Company, has concluded the permanent closure of the ash landfill for the former R Paul Smith power station in Berkeley County after securing the green light from the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection to end environmental monitoring activities on the site.

Now, another FirstEnergy subsidiary, Mon Power, plans to construct a utility-scale solar plant on the 26-acre property as part of a new West Virginia solar programme. The idea is to build a total of five such facilities with a combined capacity of 50 MW. Presently, Mon Power and Potomac Edison are accepting subscriptions from customers across the state to purchase power from these facilities through solar renewable energy credits (SRECs).

FirstEnergy has been working on the plan to close the landfill in partnership with the state since 2015.

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